Madam, - Irene Stevenson's claims for the efficacy of alternative medicine, based on having tried it and found it to work (March 14th), were already answered in Brian Hughes's article (Head2Head, March 12th).
He outlined the clearly documented psychological reasons for this perception and noted that pain was one of the conditions susceptible to psychosomatic effects.
I am more concerned by the claims of Ruth Cloherty, who opposed Dr Hughes, that alternative medicine can fill gaps in the health service. It clearly cannot. Substituting or "complementing" evidence-based therapy with unproven or disproven diagnostic or treatment practices does nothing to improve the situation and in my view can only make it worse.
Having read Ms Cloherty's article I consulted the website of the organisation that she directs. The Institute of Complementary and Integrated Medicine (ICIM) offers a range of scientifically questionable courses. For example, there is a diploma course in clinical iridology, an alternative system which claims that illnesses throughout the body are reflected in changes in the iris of the eye.
It is claimed on the website that "this is an invaluable tool for any health practitioner as it will help you to form a diagnosis. It is also a useful tool in measuring the success of treatment, as effected [ sic] parts of the eye will change as health is restored".
Clinical iridology is abject nonsense. The iris of the eye changes only in rare ocular conditions. The iris provides an indication of personal identity that is more accurate than fingerprinting. It does not change in response to any general illness of the body. Iridologists have been systematically tested and are unable consistently to diagnose any illness with this ludicrous technique. It is obvious that changes perceived by iridologists occur in their brains, not in the irises of their clients.
The diploma course on clinical iridology offered by ICIM is run on five weekends over six months and costs €1,600. - Yours, etc,
PAUL O'DONOGHUE, Principal Clinical Psychologist, Woodleigh Elm, Dublin 6.