Inside: Are you looking for answers to your medical mystery? Read below to find out what happened when I visited an Amish iridologist in search of a diagnosis.
Please do not take anything on this page as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare professional.
A while back, I was talking to a friend about searching for a diagnosis as to why my arms are slowly becoming paralyzed, when she told me about an Amish iridologist in Hestand, Kentucky. Apparently, the Amish doctor correctly diagnosed a family friend with kidney disease just by looking into his eyes.
Come, again?
What is Iridology?
Iridology is a form of alternative medicine that studies a person’s eye, specifically the iris, and attributes variations of markings and color with organ function.
For example, according to some iridologists, someone with a blue iris may be prone to lymphatic-related diseases, while brown-eyed individuals may be more likely to experience anemia.
According to The Living Centre, an “eco-spiritual educational sanctuary”, “…the iris reveals physiological conditions, psychological health risks, challenges and/or strengths of various organs and personality traits. Through Iridology, we can get an understanding of your past, present, and potential future health conditions by assessing the various body systems. Your inherited tendencies compounded by toxic accumulations in various parts of your body are also revealed.”
These are awfully bold claims without a lot of substantiated research, but what have I got to lose?
The Amish Doctor in Kentucky
A few weeks later, I was chatting with a friendly nurse at my local holistic center when I asked if she’d heard of the Amish doctor in Kentucky. Excited, she says, “Yes! I’ve tried it!”
Apparently, not only was her uncle a regular at this particular iridologist, but she had also been correctly diagnosed with Lyme Disease by him.
He doesn’t buy it and tells me that “God is the only person who can judge me, and he is the only one who I should seek approval from.”
She went on to tell me a story about a friend of hers who had cancer and was seeking any answers on how to stop it.
Don’t forget to check out Why You Should Be Careful of Sweaty Armpits (It’s Not What You Think) after you’re done!
According to the friend’s story, she allegedly had a tumultuous relationship with her mother and when the iridologist looked into her eyes, he said, “You need to fix your relationship with your mother.”
I needn’t hear anything else.
Sold.
Visiting the Amish Iridologist
Two weeks later, my boyfriend at the time and I were on the road to Kentucky at 5 AM in search of a diagnosis.
I read that the place fills up quickly, so I wanted to be the first in line. We got there at 7:15 AM, but didn’t see anyone. Assuming we were just early, we decided to sleep in the car until a man pulled up beside us and asked if we were there to see Dr. Reuben. Turns out, we were at the wrong building.
We headed a little further down the road until we saw a white building on the left. At 7:35 AM we walked in and realized our costly mistake; our 20-minute cat nap meant that we were now behind a group of five sisters and a mom. In total, it took about two hours before we were seen.
The Iridology Evaluation
Eventually, we head to the back room, and I’m the first to go. The Iridologist looks into my eyes and asks if I have digestion issues.
No, not that I can think of.
He then asks how many times a day I defecate.
Don’t fall victim to toxic metals in your food. Check out Discover the Dangerous Effects of Heavy Metals on the Body (and how to avoid them) after you’re done!
Ha! No, thanks, buddy – answering how regular my shits are in front of my boyfriend of two weeks is not sexy.
I lie and say once…always once.
He continues with a slew of questions that don’t seem relevant to me until he asks, “Do you stress a lot?”
“Not usually, but I’ve recently been under a lot of stress.”
He then asks, “Do you worry about what people think of you?”
Now, this is a tricky question–doesn’t everyone care to some degree? I silently think to myself how I have a blog on the internet where anyone can read my most personal thoughts and struggles and conclude that I probably care less than the average person. So, I say…
“Yes, but not sure if it’s more than any other person.“
He doesn’t buy it and tells me that “God is the only person who can judge me, and he is the only one who I should seek approval from.”
Cool. I just drove two hours to hear the same advice I could have read from a prison inmate’s tattoo.
The 2nd Evaluation
My boyfriend went next. He’s notoriously cheap, so in an effort to save money, the night before he gorged himself on a salami platter that was left over from a party he threw a week earlier. The first question the iridologist asked was, “Do you eat a lot of red meat?”
Ding, ding, ding! Why yes, last night, my boyfriend consumed a small pig before going to a free dinner thrown by his work and eating even more pig.
Feel like your doctor isn’t listening? Check out 5 Steps: What to Do When Your Doctor Says Nothing’s Wrong?
In the end, his evaluation went pretty similar to mine with us both answering “no” to a bunch of questions, and then receiving a list of symptoms with herbal remedies available for purchase at the counter. I bought some herbal tinctures, and then we left.
Final Thoughts On Visiting an Amish Iridologist
The only thing the Amish iridologist said that felt exclusive to me was that he could see toxin buildup. I asked him to elaborate, but he didn’t really have much more than that…
All in all, nothing was outstanding that I would drive two hours to do again. The iridologist basically gave us general health advice that every person should be following. I don’t mean to minimize the work that Dr. Reuben and his team do, because, obviously, he wouldn’t be so popular if it didn’t work for some people.
However, my experience is my experience. Just because it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t work for other people. I think it’s still worth giving a shot, even if all you get from it is a cool story.
If you would like to visit, here is the address:
Vernon Community
1205 Radure Road
Hestand, KY 421510
Criticism
As you can see from the comments below, I received a lot of hate after posting about my experience at the Amish Iridologist.
I’m adding an addendum to this after receiving multiple comments on me lying about how many times a day that I defecate (never thought I would say that sentence).
Don’t get stuck with a bad doctor. Visit Check out 7 Signs of a Bad Doctor (And How to Find a Good One)
I am simply writing about my experience. Never do I tell people that they should not go and try it out for themselves. I don’t say any of this to discredit Dr. Reuben and his practice.
Thank you for your comments below and for sharing your experiences with others.
Some of the best doctors in the world can’t figure out what is happening to me, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable that Dr. Reuben couldn’t diagnose me with brachial amyotrophic diplegia from simply looking into my eyes.
Do I think he would have diagnosed it if I would have given him a different number for the amount of times a day that I shit? No. But no doctor has a 100% accuracy rate, either.
Have you seen an iridologist before? What was your experience? Comment below and share your thoughts with others.
Allie Schmidt
Allie Schmidt is a rare disease advocate and disabled mom living with motor neuron disease. She founded Disability Dame in 2020 to provide tips to other moms living with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
In her spare time, you can find her traveling with her husband (she's been to 38 states and 16 countries!), watching reruns of Survivor, or tending to her near-constant sunburn from spending too much time outside. You can follow her adventures here.
How much was the visit?
Free
Jake saved my life (the new guy, Reuben got bucked in the head by a horse), he found a lesion in my heart that was causing a lot of issues, I lost 12/13 lbs, lost a large portion of my hair, started being unable to eat and had this doom feeling over me. I took the herbs as he advised and I gained my weight back, gained my appetite back(and then some lol) and my hair stopped coming out by the clumps. I had to deal with other issues prior to this though, I had to take herbs to clear my eyes so they could see properly. One of the things they don’t explain is that you have to do one step before you can do others. It’s not the same as a traditional doctor. You have to heal one part for them to see on to the next. It’s long, it’s annoying, I have to drive 2.5 hours just to see him and I wonder why I do it sometimes. Then it works, and so I do it again. You have to be honest with them though, lying is a problem because they need to make sure that that’s what they are seeing. Its not magic, they don’t wave a wand and know everything, they have been doing this long enough to know it works, we have all gone to him long enough to know it works, that’s why people are also willing to wait so long. I always make an appointment because I don’t want to wait and I like to guarantee I can be seen after driving that long. I save money on herbs when going to them too. Try what herbs he asked you to take, do it for 6 weeks, go back, and see what they say after.
Hi, do you know his business hours? I can’t seem to find them. Thanks
Monday, Friday 8am until 3pm
Saturday 8am to 11am
Hi, Can you please send me the formula for the gallstone cleanse? My husband has tried everything to get rid of his to no avail…
Thanks!! 🙂
Hi there! I do not have a copy of the gallbladder cleanse, as this was not an issue that I was dealing with when I met with Ruben. I would suggest booking an appointment with him! I’m not sure if the person in the comments below ever sent the gallbladder cleanse to any of the people that asked?
OMG. I have used that cleanse for 15 years
I saw Dr Ruben 15 years ago and he said “ follow this receipt one time and then repeat as needed”. I was having digestive issues and my
Primary care doctor wanter to either remove my gallbladder or I had to drink a toxic concoction that would dissolve it. I’m glad I decided to get a second opinion:)
It is a amazing natural way to
cleanse the gall bladder ,and everything in its path :). It was rough the first time until I passed the stones and toxins.
Very effective medicine.
I have a copy of the cleanse.. I can email it to you
ONE DAY LIVE AND GALL BLADDER CLENSE
Choose a day like Saturday to do your cleanse so that you can rest the next day
Take no medicine , vitamins, or pills that you can do without during the cleanse
Eat a no-fat breakfast and lunch
Do not eat anything or drink very much after 2:00pm
THINGS YOU WILL NEED:
4 Tablespoons of Epsom salts
½ cup of olive oil
1 large or 2 small fresh, pink grapefruit (enough for ¾ cup of juice)
2:00 pm – Mix 4 Tablespoons of Epsom salts in 3 cups of water. This will make four servings
of ¾ cup each. Set in the refrigerator. Have your grapefruit and olive oil at room
temperature.
6:00 pm – Drink one serving ,3/4 a cup, of Epsom salt
8:00 pm – Repeat Epsom salt dosage – BE ON TIME
9:45 pm – Squeeze grapefruit into a cup, you need ¾ a cup of juice. Remove the pulp. You
may also add the juice of one lemon to help get it down if needed. Pour ½ cup Olive oil
into the grapefruit juice. Beat with a rotary beater so they don’t separate. Now visit the
bathroom one more time and prepare for bed.
10:00 pm – Drink the Olive oil/ grapefruit potion you have mixed. You may use one lump of
brown sugar to chase it if needed. Get it down within 5 minutes. Lie down
IMMEDIATELY. Lie flat on your back with your head high on pillows. HOLD STILL FOR AT
LEAST 20 MINUTES. Go to sleep
Next Morning – Take another dose of the Epsom salt mix. (DO NOT TAKE BEFORE 6:00 AM)
2 Hours later – Take the 4 th and last dose of Epsom slats
After 2 more hours you may begin eating lightly, preferably starting with fruits and juices.
Expect diarrhea all day. Watch for Gall stones (they float and look like green peas)
THIS CLEANSE IS TO BE USED ONLY ONCE UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.. NEVER
CLEANSE WHEN YOU ARE ILL. ENJOY!
Hi , I would like a copy of the gallbladder cleanse also , just found you web site . Thanks
Hi there! I do not have a copy of the gallbladder cleanse, as this was not an issue that I was dealing with when I met with Ruben. I would suggest booking an appointment with him! I’m not sure if the person in the comments below ever sent the gallbladder cleanse to any of the people that asked?
I when to Dr Reuben several years ago. It was crazy how he knew everything about me. He saw a tumor in my right breast and in my ovaries. He also knew my gallbladder had been removed.
I was hurting so bad in my back he saw my back out of alignment. When I got back home i when to Dr. and had some scans done and sure enough I had a tumor in right breast and tumors in ovaries.
He said I had a lot of pain and sadness in my life. He had no ideas about who I was but I grew up in a broken family and in foster care.
How do u get an appointment with Dr. Rueben?
You can either write them a letter requesting a specific time and date or you can just show up during business hours.
I wouldn’t have answered the poop question in front of my bf either.
Hahaha thank you!
I saw Ruben about 30 years ago. I answered all his questions honestly. He told me I had something wrong with my blood. He also told me I had had my gallbladder removed, which I did, I’d had a hysterectomy, he saw this too. He said it hadn’t been necessary. Back to my blood. After visiting him 3 months later I was in severe pain, could barely walk and so much weakness. I went to have blood work done. The test came back that I have Rhumatoid and Lupus. After years of treatment from a medical doctor I’m in remission. Since then I’ve had a pin stroke and now insomia. I’m so irritated with everything. I know I’m setting myself up for a heart attack. I’m planning on going to see him again. I want to know the cause I stead of taking so many over the counter sleeping pills. I’ve tried everything to get some sleep, nothing works. While I was there a medical doctor from Tennessee was there trying to learn the way Ruben does this. My husband at the time also saw Ruben and was told he was full of gallstones. He did the cleanse and the next morning when his bowels moved the toliet was full of green stones. I’m ready to see him again if I have to camp out all night!
Your encounter with Reuben and the judgement on the advice he offered you is a bit difficult to accept since you admit to lying to him during the exam.
Do you wonder what he may have told you different about yourself had you answered correctly about your bathroom schedule? You stood in your own way for advice, so he gave you the only thing he could – what you wanted to hear and what YOU came for. He could do nothing else for you without your honesty.
He did offer you advice about not allowing yourself to worry about the judgement of others. He knew you were lying to him based on his follow-up question. Lies mean lack of trust, so you probably wouldn’t have followed his advice anyway. He was saving you from wasting his time and the time of others who drove long hours for his expertise.
I hope you’re able to take his advice on living without fear of judgement. The insecurity is felt in your article, but your writing has such a fun and playful feel underneath the message! There are great things hiding in you, potentially healing things that Reuben saw. I hope you’re able to embrace yourself and find what you werent ready for when you met Reuben.
Rachel Smith, I agree. The flippant attitude of the author of this article is not at all useful for those of us who are genuinely looking for help.
I’m about to use the liver/gallbladder cleanse suggested by Ruben. Last treatment was 12 years ago. Was having gas and diegestive issue then from too much alcohol. Ruben said I was dying and that we needed to slow it down . The Cleanse which my ex also used cleaned about a pound of gallstones. Really emerald green gross stuff. But I felt amazing and I’m still alive . It works but one needs to answer his questions?if u want a copy of his formula….?
Hello, I would like the formula that the herbalist gave you for your gallbladder.
Thanks,
Debra
Hello yes please post a copy of this formula thank you 😊
Yes, I would think giving honest answers would be of great value in this situation. A lady I met at the dog park today told me about this doctor and I am looking forward to making the drive and visiting him.
Yes can you please send a copy of the formula? I’m hoping to take my sister there Omarion once she gets out of hospital then rehab. Stage 4 metastatic cancer. I myself need his help as I’ve been abusing my body, stress & a genetic disorder so that I’ll be ready to care for my sister. Thank you
Hi Michelle did you end up taking your sister to Dr Reuben? I hope she is doing well
Please .. would love a copy
Do you hade the gallbladder cleanse recipe you could share? I had this recipe at one time years ago and can’t find it since it was on paper