We are all unique human beings! Different heights, different sizes, skin colour, different personalities and tastes. There is no one size fits all. A definition of body constitution is ‘the physical characteristics of the body, including the mode of performance of functions, the activity of metabolic processes, the manner and degree of reactions to stimuli, and power of resistance to the attack of pathogenic organisms’. Despite recognising the presence of differences, modern medicine often does not take our uniqueness into account and works with protocols, rather than tailoring the therapy to the person. To be able to fully appreciate and honour our uniqueness when looking after ourselves, we need to ask the ancient traditions to teach us how to rebalance our body, mind and spirit. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine have been around for thousands of years, addressing the balance of Yin and Yang and of the Doshas, respectively. Also our Western tradition of healing recognised the different constitutions and predispositions. Think of the four temperaments of Hippocratic medicine or the six tissue states in the Physiomedical tradition of herbal medicine.
Iridology is another discipline that helps identify our constitutions, our strengths and weaknesses in our bodies, our predispositions to disease and the ways to get better. Different colours in the iris – the coloured portion of the eye – tell us whether the immune system, digestive system or circulatory system need more careful looking after. We can be taken into a journey of the iris, studying the different structures and understanding what they mean for us. Iridology can reveal different dispositions of the body and mind, which can be then addressed in treatment.
The modern naturopath has a vast array of choice for understanding the interaction between the human being and the surrounding environment, by tapping into these teachings. Natural medicine holds the strength of always honouring the uniqueness of the human being and having the tools to then tailor treatment to those specific needs.
