Lesson 3 A Concentric Approach to the Iris Chart (Part One) · The Concept of Mapping The concept of using map coordinates in order to have a universal way of communicating the location

IRIDOLOGY A Concentric Approach Lesson 3

©2017 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing 1 Terry Willard Cl.H PhD.

Lesson 3

A Concentric Approach to

the Iris Chart (Part One)

Now that we have become familiar with the outline of a simplified iridology map, as defined by the North American system of iridology, let's take a more detailed look at the chart. We begin by looking at the concentric rings of the iris. Before detailing the iris itself, we will review the pupil -- the hole in the center of the iris where light goes through to the lens.

Pupil Size

The Pupils are literally the apertures which light goes through to reach the lens and retina of the eye. The two muscles in the iris are sphincter muscles that open and close these apertures. These muscles are under the control of the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. The pupil border (PB), also known as the inner pupil border (IPB), is directly connected to the spinal cord via the optic nerves. If the spine is out of alignment it will be reflected in the IPB. This means it will directly reflect the a person’s environment. The pupil size is constantly changing.

Healthy irises should naturally constrict when a light is shone on them, reducing the size of the pupil. If a light is shone on just one pupil, both irises should still constrict at the same time. When the pupil is extremely dilated (a condition known as mydriases), it can indicate a patient has a weak constitution, although one must also consider the iris texture. Dilation may also indicate that the patient is using drugs, especially "street drugs". If extreme dilation exists, consider a possible severe nervous system irritation such as epilepsy, M.S., advanced anemia, T.B. or even psychosis and manias.

Extreme contraction (miosis) can be a sign of drug influence and may also be considered the first stage of nervous disorder, specifically in the spinal area.

The iris may fluctuate when light is shone upon it. This can indicate worms in the intestinal tract or weak adrenals. If the fluctuation is strong, cerebral congestion can be suspected along with the type of nervous degeneration often associated with physical or psychological trauma. If one pupil dilates and one contracts, you can suspect a major problem in the nervous system

Dilated (mydriases) Pupil

Contraction (miosis) of Pupil



such as diphtheria, meningitis or syphilis. It could also be indicative of a concussion or a more acute problem, such as asthma.

Pupil tonus (the Latin word for tone) shows up as various anomalies in the shape of the pupil and can represent issues the client is having in their life, either environmentally or on a personal level. In a healthy, well-balanced individual, the pupil should be round. Anomalies can show up as the IPB being flattened or elongated in various sectors. We will study the IPB, as well as pupil location and shape in the Advanced Iridology course (Currently only available in Classroom format).

The Concept of Mapping

The concept of using map coordinates in order to have a universal way of communicating the location of signs, is used by all iridologists, ophthalmologists, and in fact, the medical profession in general. Many of the locations appear to slightly ‘move’ in the iris, not always being in the exact same spot. Shape recognition becomes important. Often the areas will overlap a bit. The concept of 'overlapping' sections of identified mapped organ locations becomes less confusing and a deeper understanding of approximation and individuation becomes easier to grasp when you get used to specific landmarks. Once these fundamentals are mastered, more specific locators, often associated with certain published charts, are used. Mapping terms related to iridology are defined below.

Pupil Shapes



General Directional Terms Once it is established whether the discussion will focus on the Right eye (R) or Left eye (L), general directional terms are used. There are four general directions used to describe the positions on the iris map:

• Superior or Frontal (located at top) • Inferior or Ventral (located at bottom) •

Nasal or Medial (located closest to the nose) • Temporal or Lateral (located

closest to the temple)



Zones

The iris is divided into seven concentric zones (see diagram on the following page). These zones are divided by the Autonomic Nerve Wreath (ANW, collarette), into two broader zones, namely the Pupillary Zone and the Ciliary Zone, as follows:



Pupillary Zone = Zones 1 and 2

The Pupillary Zone is the area between the edge of the pupil and the ANW. These zones reflect the dynamics of the gastrointestinal system, which consists of the stomach (Zone 1) and the small and large intestines (Zone 2). It is also called the Nutritive Zone.

Ciliary Zone = Zones 3 to 7

The Ciliary Zone is located between the ANW and the outer edge of the iris, and is separated into three parts:

o INNER CILIARY ZONE or HUMORAL ZONE = ZONE 3 This zone is sometimes referred to as the Nutrient Transport or Transformation and Distribution Zone. It is located immediately outside of the ANW where the blood, inner lymph fluids and endocrine glands are reflexively mapped. It is also the area representative of the blood and inner lymph fluids of the body, and transportation of nutrients from the bowel.

o MID CILIARY ZONE or UTILIZATION ZONE = ZONES 4 and 5 This zone reflects the extent of nutritional insufficiencies via stromal fiber variations.

▪ Zone 4 is also referred to as the First Zone of Utilization and is primarily associated with musculature and the major organs of the body

▪ Zone 5 is sometimes referred to as the Zone of Ultimate Utilization and is primarily associated with the bones

o OUTER CILIARY ZONE = ZONES 6 and 7 This zone relates to detoxification and elimination.

▪ Z o n e 6 is primarily associated with the peripheral circulation of the blood and lymph systems

▪ Z o n e 7 is primarily associated with the skin



The following table provides additional information relating to the seven zones of the iris.



Stomach Zone

The stomach sits in the first zone next to the pupil. The health of the stomach is very important. If the patient's stomach is not strong and healthy, they will not be able to digest food properly. The stomach produces hydrochloric acid to start the first stage of digesting proteins. Not only is this process necessary for adequate protein digestion, it sets up a coding mechanism to tell the rest of the digestive tract how much and what kind of digestive enzymes should be produced. If the stomach is impaired, the rest of the digestive tract is impaired. What is the use of taking all kinds of herbs, vitamins and other supplements if we can't digest them? Unfortunately, about 85 percent of the people in North America over the age of 20 have some type of stomach problem. The following stomach issues are most easily recognizable by iridology:

Stomach acidity

If the stomach zone slants inward and/or is darker, and is usually a greyer colour than the majority of the iris, the stomach is hypoacidic, meaning the person is not producing enough hydrochloric acid (HCl) to properly digest food or health supplements.

If the stomach zone slants upwards and/or is whiter in colour, the person then has a hyperacid stomach ... producing more acid than is necessary.

Most people over the age of 20 years have hypoacidic stomachs, contrary to popular opinion and antacid

advertisements. When I'm saying this, I'm not just taking my estimates from iridology. Medical science uses the Heidelberg test to assess stomach acidity. It consists of a small FM transmitter, which is swallowed, signaling acid levels back to the medical radio receiver outside the body. Useful ... but costing thousands of dollars! Iridology reports the same basic information, much less expensively.

Why are there so many people with hypoacidic conditions of the stomach? Most infants, when born, seem to have an urge to eat fast, sucking at their mother's breast, but when solid foods are eaten this way, it can cause problems. Our stomach's job is to start the first stage of protein digestion and to churn the well-chewed food into the consistency of a thick jelly. If we eat too fast or (more accurately) don't chew our food thoroughly, we deposit large particles of food into the digestive tract. The pyloric sphincter, which allows chyme (partially digested food) to pass into the duodenum, is not supposed to open until the food has a jelly-like consistency.

Eating too fast will initially cause the stomach to produce too much acid making it hyperacidic. After years of abuse, the stomach weakens and



collapses into a low acid situation, hypoacidic stomach. In the 1970's and early 80's, I used to find many children under 10 years of age with hyperacidity. Patients over the age of 20 year old often had hypoacidity. In the 90's I found the average age of hypoacidity to be younger and younger. This is probably due to the speedy decline in the nutritional value of the family meal and the increase in fast food options.

Chinese medicine has another explanation for this pattern, and that is cold drinks. Cold drinks are considered to squelch the digestive fire in

the stomach. In China it is considered all right to drink hot tea or have soup with food, but not the inclusion of cold liquids. The increase of soda pops as a common meal beverage in North America has increased dramatically in

the last decade.

There are many schools of thought that believe that inclusion of any liquid with meals will dilute the digestive power of the enzymes. This might be true to an extent as most of the patients that I have seen in the last two decades have had a hypo-acidic condition.

When a hypo-acidic situation in the stomach exists. This brings us to the application of an interesting principle that has universal applications ... certainly within the field of health. Its origins lie in the

Orient and with the alchemists and herbalists of Europe. Expressed in Oriental terms:

The bigger the Yin, the bigger the Yang

The bigger the front, the bigger the back.

As above, so below.

When the acid levels of one part of the body start to fall out of balance, the rest of the body will follow suit. The stomach, which should be acidic, lowers its acid level, and in response, the muscle tissue (which should not be acidic) starts to become acidic. You will discover that all the acid of the body will slowly change around the constant apex of blood levels of acids. If the acids levels drop in the stomach, they rise in areas that normally have low acidity. The muscle tissue will become more acidic, while normally acidic areas like the large intestine, urinary tract and the vagina become less

acidic than normal. If the acid level in the large intestine or vaginal cavity declines, for example, it can result in accelerated yeast multiplication and infection. Conversely, re-acidifying the area could remove a yeast infection. It may seem quite a stretch to relate a woman's eating habits to her yeast infection. Yeast infections can also be a forewarning of later arthritic conditions, which can be the result of too much acidity in the muscle tissue. Again, Yang becomes Yin. Acid become alkaline and vice versa.

Returning to the iris, if the acid level of the stomach is lowered, the stomach zone slants inward and will also appear darker in colour. "Inward" in this



case means sloping down toward the pupil from the outer edge of the stomach zone. As far as the colour is concerned, you must also consider the rest of the eye. Comparisons of acid levels or whiteness of the stomach with the whitest parts in the rest of the iris must be made (excluding the zones relating to the lymphatic and nervous systems) as these areas can become white if they are congested or inflamed. If the stomach colour is darker than the back ground tissue, it indicates hypoacidic conditions. The colour presented by stomach toxicity, which we will discuss later, must also be viewed carefully. If the stomach zone slants up (i.e., the iris tissue is higher at the pupil than at the outer edge of the stomach zone) and/or is whiter than the rest of the iris, it indicates hyperacidic conditions or a condition of higher than normal acid levels.

Stomach Toxicity

Toxins in the stomach region of the iris are mostly represented by brown, yellow or orange patches of colour in that zone. The intensity of colour represents the level of toxicity in the stomach zone. As mentioned earlier, the colour of toxicity has to be "subtracted" from the colour of the stomach zone to determine stomach acidity.

Nervousness and Catarrh

The stomach zone often has deep troughs slanting inward toward the pupil. This represents excess nervousness and stomach catarrh. Of course, the stomach can have lesions just like any other part of the body indicating problem such as stomach ulcers. We will be looking at lesions in later lessons.

Nervous Stomach Nervous Stomach

Nervous Stomach



Intestinal Area (Zone 2)

From 7 o'clock through to 11 o'clock on the left iris (1 o'clock to 5 o'clock on the right) is the area of the small intestine. (Little else of importance is considered different in this area from that of the large intestine that will follow.) One area of interest to some iridologists though is the Peyer's Patches locations (9:30 in the left, 2:30 in the right). Lesions in these areas have been theorized to represent fever, propensity to thyroid problems and a sign of diabetes. None of these theories have been substantially proven.

Zone 2 represents the area between the stomach and the autonomic nerve wreath (ANW). The boundary, and therefore shape, of Zone 2 is the shape of the colon more than the shape of the ANW.

A healthy looking colon (rarely seen in our society) would look like this.

There are six

major patterns that can be seen in the colon:

1. Prolapsus of the transverse colon

2. Spasticity of the colon.

3. Ballooning of the colon.

4. Diverticuli

5. Toxicity

6. Parasites

Healthy Colon



Prolapsed Colon

Here you can see a prolapse as it occurs in the body (and is represented in the iris). A prolapse is a stretching of the peritoneum that holds up the transverse intestinal area. When the peritoneum is stretched, the transverse colon falls down or is "prolapsed". This is caused by lack of abdominal muscle tone and accompanied by caked-on fecal matter in the colon. The biggest food culprit is flour, especially white flour. This flour sticks to the colon wall and with the force of gravity pulls the colon down. This can give the person a "doughboy" appearance. When the transverse colon is prolapsed, it rests on the organs below, pressuring and pushing them out of place, while resulting toxins from the colon seep into them. Prolapsed transverse colons are probably the most common cause of a tipped uterus or prostate problems. These areas should always be examined after evidence of a prolapse is spotted.

Spastic Colon

A chronic spastic colon is a "skinny" colon caused by too much nervous energy entering the colon and contracting the muscles. As spastic colon muscle is different than an acute spasm in any other muscle and its associated pain. Persons with a chronic spastic colon don’t feel it, but are often constipated or have poor bowel movement due to the small diameter of the colon. There are many situations

that can lead to spasticity in the colon. Not expressing one's emotions (internalizing emotions) often fires the autonomic nerve response to the colon area. This in turn causes the development of a chronic spastic colon. The colon is often considered the "emotional brain" ... its shape reflects the emotions. Some people's colons are so deeply spastic, Zone 2 appears to go right inside stomach zone (Zone 1).

Ballooned Colon

Ballooning of the colon occurs when a person has very little tone in the intestinal wall muscle, combined with accumulated gas. The pressure of accumulated gas causes the intestinal wall to bulge out, forming gas pockets. A tube on tire bulging out in weak areas when

Ballooned Colon



the tire is blown up exemplifies this phenomenon. Gas pockets are excellent locations for parasite infestations because they are out of the main flow of fecal matter.

Diverticuli

Diverticuli also reflect a condition where there is weakness in the intestinal wall. Here the blown-out places are much smaller and usually very plentiful. Because of their shape, they are also excellent breeding grounds for intestinal parasites ... even more than balloon pockets. The diverticuli often get inflamed, a

condition known as diverticulitis.

Toxicity

The toxicity of the intestines, as in all areas of the body, is reflected in the iris by colour. The colon area should be an even blue or brown according to the eye colour. Any other colour represents toxicity. The most common colors of toxins are brown, orange and a yellowish tint. Toxins are often observed just outside the ANW. These are toxins that have seeped into the associated tissue by reflex action from the colon. In an iris that shows a spastic colon area, we will often see toxins on or outside the ANW. This, of course, reflects the toxicity of the colon itself. Remember that the bloodstream is only as healthy and as clean as the intestinal tract.

Diverticuli

Colon Toxicity



Parasites in the Colon

Parasites are seen in the colon area as cross-hatchings of dark, almost black areas and these will often appear as black or very dark dots. Parasites are very common in the intestinal area. As the famous herbalist and iridologist Dr. J.R. Christopher used to proclaim, "A small percentage of my patients have intestinal parasites ... 95%". Dr. Bernard Jensen, originator of the North American iridology chart similarly claims that 85% of his patients have parasites. The problem is therefore common and shouldn't alarm anyone. In our practice we see about 65% of our patients with parasites.

If we have a dirty colon, it is almost certain that we also have parasites. Parasites exist in most foods we eat, not just in raw meat as is commonly thought. It is next to impossible to avoid consuming them. A clean and healthy intestinal tract will definitely deter their survival in your system. Parasites are akin to houseflies. If a fly comes into your clean and neat kitchen, it buzzes around for a while and then flies off elsewhere. If yesterday's lunch is left on the table, the fly has found a home ... and its grandchildren will be having a ball in a while! If you keep a clean healthy colon, the parasites will not remain. There is nothing for them to live on. We usually get our patients to do a D-tox and parasite program every spring, to remove parasites.

Candida yeast problem can often be seen in the digestive area (as well as other areas) as a yellowish, murky ‘film’. This can be seen to change over time depending on the degree of the candida (yeast) accumulation in the area. This condition does not always show up as yellowish, it can also appear as a ‘mucousy’ film or not have any sign at all. When you suspect a Candida problem, but are not sure from the iris, it is best to give the person both a short term and long term Candida questionnaire.

Always consider emotional factors, when dealing with the GI tract and emotional as social interactions can greatly effect the tone and the structure of GI tract via the autonomic nervous system.

Autonomic Nerve Wreath (ANW)

The Autonomic Nerve Wreath (a.k.a. Wreath, collarette) can usually be seen very easily in the iris. Because the autonomic nerve wreath is such a prominent landmark in the iris, and the autonomic nervous system is so important in the body, we would expect the ANW in the iris to reflect many features of the body.

The ANW should be approximately 1/3rd of the way out from the pupil. Its shape and location can tell us a lot about the tone and shape of the Colon. It can also tell us a lot about the person’s emotional temperament and the overall innervation of the body. If a

person is internalizing too much stress, the ANW will be thicken and raised

Parasites

Autonomic Nerve Wreath (ANW)

Candida Yeast



off of the surface. If the ANW is very prominent, it is irritated in some way. This is often associated with eating too fast. There have also been a few other ideas about the significance of the topography of the ANW. This information is taken from, Iridodiagnosis by V.L. Ferrandiz, as expressed by Harri Wolf in Applied Iridology, Volume One.

1. Strong vital force; good equilibrium.

2. Fairly good resistance to disease.

3. Glandular stress (possibly due to drugs).

4. Reduced vitality; poor defenses.

5. Heat and circulatory problems.

6. Chronic disease; difficult to cure.

If the ANW is ‘ballooned’ or atonic, not only is the bowel lacking tone, the emotions are moving towards extroversion in the areas indicated. If the ANW is quite constricted or spastic, we will see the person moving toward introversion or holding tension in that area of the body.

Heart

The heart area is seen in the left iris at 2:45, right on the ANW. The traditional mark for heart problems is observed when the ANW splits to form a diamond shape. A lesion just above this is typically expressed as an aortic problem outside the heart or a bronchial problem. Experience and careful questioning will help you determine which problem exists.

Heart Diamond



Solar Plexus

The solar plexus is also found right on the ANW at 3:45 in the left iris. Splitting of the ANW reveals a problem here. A lesion in this area is presumed to directly reflect emotional problems. Emotions dictate a great amount of information regarding the body's health and therefore must not be overlooked.

Nerve or Cramp Rings

Moving out on a radius of the iris, the next area we observe is the somatic nerve area. Note we can also sometimes see these in the stomach zone. If the nervous system is under stress, the area will have dips in the iris fiber. These dips appear as though someone were pushing the radiating fibers on each end and thus cramping the fibers inwards. These cramp rings are cause by the muscle of the iris literally buckling as a result from constant or prolonged contraction of the dilator muscle (indicating abnormal tension in the sympathetic nervous system). The areas in which these rings are evident reflect the body parts associated with nervous tension.

There are four factors that show the severity of the problem:

1. Number of concentric rings

2. Length of an individual ring.

3. Depth of the ring.

4. Colour of the ring.

We will often see more than one "level" of nerve ring indicating the number of concentric cramps. In the 1940's, it was considered that three or more rings assuredly meant the person was ready to be institutionalized for a nervous breakdown. This same number in the 2010’s is considered to be the norm rather than the exception. Some children, usually hyperactive, have as many as 6-10 rings. The rings do not have to go right around in a circle to constitute a cramp ring, even though length is an indication of severity. There is often one area that has a deeper cramp than the others, indicating this area of the body holds the most tension. Dark coloured nerve rings reflect associated toxicity.

Solar Plexus

Nerve Cramp Rings

Cramp Rings

Nerve Rings



Lymphatic Rosary

The lymphatic system is one of the major cleansing systems of the body, and it often becomes congested. When this occurs, we see the congested lymphatic nodes in the iris assume the shape of small bead-like markings. These can also be called tophi or flocculatione. The location of these beads indicates the area of the body they are associated with. These bead markings are usually white in colour but will often be revealed as darker colours, indicating the degree of toxicity associated with the various lymphatic nodes. They will indicate a tendency toward lymphatic congestion, stagnation and immune over activity.

Scurf Ring

This can be seen as a darkening of the outer edge of the iris. The scurf ring represents the degree of potential for the skin to breathe. If the skin cannot breathe properly, the outer edge of the iris is dark. It appears as if the fibers of the iris do not quite reach the outer edge of the iris.

Remember that considering the health of the skin, you should take into consideration of the other three alimentary systems (colon, lungs, kidney).

Circulation

If the sclera (white) of the eye overlaps onto the iris creating a hazy, non-distinct edge to iris, a circulation problem associated with that area of the body is indicated. One of the most

common areas for this lack of circulation is the head. Poor circulation in this area is reflected in an "arc of senility" (arcus senilis) in the iris. Poor memory can be the result of poor cranial circulation. The lack of oxygen to the brain results in reducing metabolism of the protein necessary to trigger memory.

Lymphatic Rosary

Lymphatic Congestion

Poor Circulation

Scurf Ring

Poor Circulation (especially the Head) arc of senility



Cholesterol Ring (Lipemic Diathesis)

Initially, the cholesterol ring appears very similar to the poor circulation ring. With a little practice, you will be able to distinguish between them. A white coloration floating in the cornea just above the outer edge of the iris, indicates there is a cholesterol, sodium or even some other mineral deposited on the inner surface of the blood vessel system. This sign can also represent glucose imbalances, moving into the Syndrome X or metabolic syndrome area. It is essentially impossible to tell which of the above materials is triggering the iris feature but the indication generally points to the beginning of

arteriosclerosis.

One should also consider liver, thyroid, adrenal and pancreas issues when seeing these signs. This area also represents a person having too rigid behavior and fixed ideas as well as excessive thinking (usually in circular arguments.)

Repentance Ring

The cholesterol ring heals from the outside of the iris inward causing the appearance of a "ring" just inside the periphery of the iris. This is the so-called "repentance ring".

Cholesterol Ring

Repentance Ring Repentance Ring

Documents

Lesson 3 A Concentric Approach to the Iris Chart (Part One) · The Concept of Mapping The concept of using map coordinates in order to have a universal way of communicating the location