Re: skin absorption of iodine

[Guest guest]

Dear schlayerpeggy,

Unfortunately, not much is known about transdermal absorption of iodine. There is agreement that iodine CAN be absorbed through the skin. That has been known since the 1930s. Also, women have been painting Lugol's on their breasts with good results (e.g., for fibrocystic problems), and painting is recommended by Derry in his book on iodine and breast cancer. The amount absorbed is correlated with how large a patch is painted and how much iodine is applied. Painters believe that you want to paint the iodine near where it is needed.

However, the chemists and biochemists who work in the iodine field say that very little of the iodine in Lugol's is absorbed through the skin. They believe that most of it simply evaporates.

I have collected some information on transdermal absorption, and you can find it here:

Links > 51 Special Topics in Iodine > 03 Physiology of Iodine > 11 Iodine Absorption -- Transdermal and Oral > Transdermal Absorption (Skin)

http://tinyurl.com/l3rlj

I haven't had enough time to fully digest and think about this information. I wish that someone would really research this in depth. We wrote to Gottardi (who is the best iodine chemist) about this, but he did not respond. Kessler (who is the main iodine biochemist) does not believe that much is absorbed based on what is known about iodine biochemistry, but acknowledges that the in vivo studies haven't been done yet. [He is especially skeptical about the patch test since it is hard to imagine how the skin cells would know how much iodine is in the entire body and be able to adjust their absorption accordingly.]

So, I have no idea what equivalent doses would be -- since I have no idea how much is being absorbed.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Zoe

----- Original Message -----

From: schlayerpeggy

My husband does not want to injest it. He wants to continue to paint it on his stomach (BTW has been over 6 weeks of doing it). So what would be the way to do this? Will an area of 5X5 on his stomach be sufficant?He has a chronic back condition, severe acid reflux (hense the reason why he won't take it internally)So would someone have a dosage for the skin dosing?

[Guest guest]

Hi Zoe

My use to Iodine on the skin is probably not for the purposes most

people use it for. My left shin has a tendency to get dry and

slightly itchy. In the past, the itchiness was a precursor to open

sores, which were then very prone to opportunistic infections.

From info other lists, it would appear that my body is exuding

oxalates thru my skin, and that is the cause of the problem. Eating

a low oxalate diet helps, as does taking lots of Magnesium and

Calcium. But the problem has not yet gone away.

I have found that if I apply about a tablespoon of Lugol's to my left

shin, one or twice a month, the skin never erupts into open sores.

And taking nightly tub soaks on cold water with lots of ice, plus

baking soda and epsom salts keeps down the itchiness.

Alobar

On 9/4/06, Zoe & <ZOEA@...> wrote:

>

>

>

> Dear schlayerpeggy,

>

> Unfortunately, not much is known about transdermal absorption of iodine.

There is agreement that iodine CAN be absorbed through the skin. That has been

known since the 1930s. Also, women have been painting Lugol's on their breasts

with good results (e.g., for fibrocystic problems), and painting is recommended

by Derry in his book on iodine and breast cancer. The amount absorbed is

correlated with how large a patch is painted and how much iodine is applied.

Painters believe that you want to paint the iodine near where it is needed.

>

> However, the chemists and biochemists who work in the iodine field say that

very little of the iodine in Lugol's is absorbed through the skin. They believe

that most of it simply evaporates.

[Guest guest]

>From: " Zoe & " <ZOEA@...>

>Unfortunately, not much is known about transdermal absorption of iodine.

>There is agreement that iodine CAN be absorbed through the skin.

Derry had a specific idea about that -

http://thyroid.about.com/library/derry/bl2a.htm

" The iodine disappearance rate is unrelated to thyroid disease or even

iodine content of the body.(1-2) Meticulous research by Nyiri and Jannitti

in 1932 showed clearly when iodine is applied to the skin in almost any

form, 50% evaporates into the air within 2 hours and between 75 and 80

percent evaporates into the air within 24 hours. (1) A total of 88 percent

evaporates within 3 days and it is at this point that the evaporation stops.

The remaining 12 percent that is absorbed into the skin has several fates.

Only 1-4% of the total iodine applied to the skin is absorbed into the blood

stream within the first few hours. The rest of the iodine within the skin

(8-11%) is slowly released from the skin into the blood stream. "

That being said, several people here have reported that the iodine stain

lasts longer after they've been on iodine for a while. The above does not

explain that, and if true, would certainly mean that the status of iodine

sufficiency really does make a difference.

Anyway, from the above it appears he thinks 12% is ultimately absorbed into

the blood stream.

Skipper

That has been known since the 1930s. Also, women have been painting Lugol's

on their breasts with good results (e.g., for fibrocystic problems), and

painting is recommended by Derry in his book on iodine and breast cancer.

The amount absorbed is correlated with how large a patch is painted and how

much iodine is applied. Painters believe that you want to paint the iodine

near where it is needed.

>

>However, the chemists and biochemists who work in the iodine field say that

>very little of the iodine in Lugol's is absorbed through the skin. They

>believe that most of it simply evaporates.

>

>I have collected some information on transdermal absorption, and you can

>find it here:

>Links > 51 Special Topics in Iodine > 03 Physiology of Iodine > 11 Iodine

>Absorption -- Transdermal and Oral > Transdermal Absorption (Skin)

>

>http://tinyurl.com/l3rlj

>

>I haven't had enough time to fully digest and think about this information.

> I wish that someone would really research this in depth. We wrote to

>Gottardi (who is the best iodine chemist) about this, but he did not

>respond. Kessler (who is the main iodine biochemist) does not believe that

>much is absorbed based on what is known about iodine biochemistry, but

>acknowledges that the in vivo studies haven't been done yet. [He is

>especially skeptical about the patch test since it is hard to imagine how

>the skin cells would know how much iodine is in the entire body and be able

>to adjust their absorption accordingly.]

>

>So, I have no idea what equivalent doses would be -- since I have no idea

>how much is being absorbed.

>

>Sorry I can't be more helpful.

>

>Zoe

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: schlayerpeggy

>

>

>

> My husband does not want to injest it. He wants to continue to paint it

> on his stomach (BTW has been over 6 weeks of doing it). So what would

> be the way to do this? Will an area of 5X5 on his stomach be

> sufficant?

> He has a chronic back condition, severe acid reflux (hense the reason

> why he won't take it internally)So would someone have a dosage for

> the skin dosing?

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

The Nyiri article is here:

http://iodine4health.com/special/absorption.htm

It has been a couple months since I read it, but I remember thinking that Nyiri didn't really prove how MUCH iodine is absorbed. He DID firmly establish, however, that iodine CAN BE ABSORBED through the skin.

It's interesting they weren't certain at the time that it could be absorbed through the skin. Many thought the animals were inhaling the vapors from the iodine. So Nyiri conducted experiments that kept the animals from inhaling the evaporated iodine. That's why he was so interested in evaporation. A classic research article on iodine. Fun to read and imagine what it must have been like for him to do that research.

Zoe

----- Original Message -----

From: Skipper Beers

Meticulous research by Nyiri and Jannitti in 1932 showed clearly when iodine is applied to the skin in almost any form, 50% evaporates into the air within 2 hours and between 75 and 80 percent evaporates into the air within 24 hours. (1) A total of 88 percent evaporates within 3 days and it is at this point that the evaporation stops. The remaining 12 percent that is absorbed into the skin has several fates. Only 1-4% of the total iodine applied to the skin is absorbed into the blood stream within the first few hours. The rest of the iodine within the skin (8-11%) is slowly released from the skin into the blood stream. "Anyway, from the above it appears he thinks 12% is ultimately absorbed into the blood stream.