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He has hosted psychics and a proponent of “iridology,” the belief that examining patterns in the iris yields diagnoses for any part of the body.

In the “Marketplace” — the gymnasium-size room at AlienCon with the merch booths — the cast members existed comfortably with crystal jewelry sellers; practitioners of iridology and divine muscle testing; the author of a science-fiction series called “Gray Guardians”; the producers of the U.F.O. government cover-up thriller “The Phoenix Incident”; Sasquatch Syndicate, which sold Bigfoot action figures; a man and woman into cosplay who were both dressed like Giorgio; and the promoters of the Sedona Orgone Vortex, which promised to produce positive energy and block electromagnetic fields.

Colquhoun's guide is a Devil's Dictionary of all things holistic: "Herbal medicine: giving patients an unknown dose of an ill-defined drug, of unknown effectiveness and unknown safety… Reflexology: plain old foot massage, overlaid with utter nonsense about non-existent connections between your feet and your thyroid gland… Spiritual healing: tea and sympathy, accompanied by arm-waving… Kinesiology, iridology, vega test, etc: various forms of fraud, designed to sell you cures that don't work, for problems you haven't got."

It added that universities were risking their reputations by teaching courses like chiropractic, homeopathy, iridology and reflexology.

It is essential for the survival and promotion of iridology that those who choose to engage in its practice avoid naming any disease condition.