One day, 19-year-old Jerid Spivulis woke up with a swollen ankle, followed by calf and knee inflammation that made walking ­extremely difficult. A week later he was given the grim diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. What at first seemed like cruel punishment for a young man who had spent much of his childhood ill turned out to be a blessing of sorts since his latest health challenge lead him to iridologist Yvonne Dollard Perc and, in turn, a life of freedom and restored health.

It was a kindhearted waitress, dismayed to see such a beautiful young man struggling with the help of a cane, who insisted Spivulis go see Yvonne Dollard Perc, an experienced iridologist in his then home of Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island.

"When I met Jerid last summer he could hardly walk," Perc remembers. Maureen O'Hearn, Spivulis' mother and caretaker, remembers the day very clearly as well. "He was walking like a 150-year-old person and was in severe pain," she says, "Yvonne took one look into Jerid's eyes and immediately said your bowel needs some help."

At the Island Healthworks Natural Health Clinic (www.islandhealthworks.com), Perc took pictures of Spivulis' eyes and displayed them on her ­computer for analysis. She showed Spivulis and his mother the indications that his entire system was suffering and his body was getting little nutrition from his food. O'Hearn says her son had lost 30 pounds in the month prior and indeed had suffered with a rare and serious colon condition called encopresis from the time he was a baby until he reached puberty. The condition prevented him from attending public school and made it difficult to live a normal, happy childhood.

Having been through the medical system a number of times with the same advice of increased fibre and water, it wasn't until meeting with Perc that O'Hearn and her son understood how his colon health had resulted in his now crippling pain and inflammation. A backed-up elimination process eventually results in toxins circulating in the body. In Spivulis' case, the bowel contents were backing up into his small intestine and being absorbed into his body. "Through observation of the eye, I can help people narrow things down and help with an individual, holistic approach to wellness," Perc explains.

"Within four hours of taking the herbs Yvonne recommended, there was a difference in Jerid's pain and by the next day the swelling in his joints was going down," O'Hearn says. "I also drastically changed my diet," says Spivulis, following Perc's advice. "It was just a month ­later that I was able to go rock climbing and cliff-diving for the first time in my life," he adds ­enthusiastically.

Perc, who is also a master herbalist, sclerologist, kinesiologist, acutheropist and nutritional consultant, has used iridology for analysis in her practice for 18 years and is also a certified teacher of practical iridology. She says she has many clients like Spivulis who have exhausted the medical system but still aren't well. "I don't diagnose," Perc explains. Instead, she analyzes through iridology and takes the time required to see and understand each person and their situation. "I do often suggest people get blood work and other tests that may be necessary," Perc adds. "I respect that part of the medical system."

Unfortunately, the medical system is not as respectful of iridology, perhaps because of the small amount of traditional scientific evidence to support this ­century-old analysis tool. A review of scientific literature from 1970 to 2005 (USP, 2008) revealed that of the 50 studies found, only half were based on research studies. Of the 25 considered, 15 had favourable conclusions about iridology's effectiveness and 10 did not.

Still, most researchers consider iridology to be unproven and it doesn't help that the practice is also unregulated. The International Iridology Practitioners Association (IIPA) states, "Because there are no official standards of practice for iridologists, two different iridologists may have widely differing levels of expertise. There are also great discrepancies in the quality of available courses, especially in North America."

As the IIPA also points out, however, "Iridology does not identify and diagnose medical diseases; rather it shows the conditions in the body that can or will eventually lead to specific diseases. In this way, iridology can be of tremendous benefit in preventing disease before it manifests, utilizing the tools of nutrition and lifestyle to direct the body into a higher state of health."

One researcher, Dr. Salles of the Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos Homeopáticos in São Paulo, Brazil, reported in a 2003 research paper, "The greatest advantage of iris diagnose stands in the prevention of diseases, since even before the patient presents any symptoms, the iridologist is able to detect signals of any disorder and use the necessary means to keep the homeostasis of the organism, preventing it from getting ill."

"Every organ and part of the body is represented in the iris in a well-defined area and is the 'map' of the entire body," Perc says. She takes before and after pictures of her clients' eyes and says, "As in any holistic science, what I see are weaknesses that reveal physical and ­emotional stress." There are many ways in which she analyzes the eye, such as looking for genetic weakness, system health and even clues in the sclerology (the white parts of the eyes) as well. "Clients really like to be involved in the on-screen navigation and are often surprised at what I know about them through their eyes," she says. What follows is nourishment of the weakness.

Perhaps an observational approach that has benefited people for a century and is not, in essence, medical need not and cannot be fairly judged by medicine. "A lot of people think iridology is hocus pocus, but it's not," says O'Hearn, "It changed my son's life."

Today, almost a year after meeting Perc, Spivulis says, "I'm feeling awesome now." He has moved to Vancouver where he enjoys bike riding, has done some commercial fishing and says his knee and ankle didn't flare up during that time at all. He also says, "I'm definitely looking forward to more cliff-diving this summer."

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