Skin Disorders 
Bt Walter Sorochan Emeritus Professor San Diego State University

Posted December 17, 2012, updated November 26, 2021.   Disclaimer   The information presented here is for informative and educational purposes only and is not intended as curative or prescriptive advice.

We all have health problems of one kind or another.  But our ancestors probably had fewer health problems than we  do today.  Research archeologists inform us that autoimmune disorders evolved over the past 10,000 years as our ancestors started to migrate to different parts of the world.   Apparently changing one’s environment acted as a stimulus to modify our genetic DNA; thereby creating mutations of various kinds. One side-effect of all this is suspected to be genetic autoimmune disorders like skin disorders.

This historical reference opens the discussion about skin and skin disorders. A clear skin displays one’s appearance and how one looks and feels. Women are especially sensitive about their skin appearance and use cosmetics to make themselves more attractive.  Many cosmetics, skin creams and lotions can be absorbed by the skin, causing allergic reactions, skin itching and rashes.  Skin cosmetics can be dangerous to a woman's health!

Many skin disorders look similar, appear to be inter-related, although medical research is skimpy at best! Doctors usually treat symptoms of a skin condition and not the cause! This probably explains why most of us with a skin disorder are seldom treated successfully by our healer.

This article briefly reviews a few skin disorders such as rosacca, psoriasis, shingles, itchy skin or pruritus, prurigo nodularis (PN) or hard crusty lumps form on the skin and koloid scars. 

 Alert:    Some readers may incorrectly perceive that this author is advocating iodine therapy for skin disorders.  This is not so as he is merely the messenger of the information.  But those attempting to try apply iodine to psoriasis or other skin disorders should become more informed, do so under the guidance of a medical doctor and follow the guidelines for doing so.  

To understand skin disorders one needs to appreciate what the skin is and does.

Skin

Skin is the largest organ in the body and covers body tissues. Wiki: Skin  It  plays a key role in protecting the body against pathogens, excessive water loss, excretes toxic wastes,has about 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a day, acts as an insulator, regulates temperature, is sensitive to heat and cold, touch, pressure and vibration, absorbs oxygen and nitrogen, stores fat and water and produces fat-soluble vitamin D.

Since the skin contains a lot of fat, it thereby also absorbs many substances and dangerous chemicals that are also fat soluble.  The skin absorbing toxic chemicals instantly puts a big burden on the liver and kidneys to detoxify such substances as quickly as possible.

Your skin is a bridge between your body and the outside world.  It senses every change in the outer world, including heat, cold, humidity, pressure, various radiations, and the effects of many harmful chemicals and physical phenomena.  It acts as a monitoring system to protect you from harm. 

Scientists point out that the skin's ability to react to environmental hazards and toxic chemicals already inside your body mirrors the inside health of the body.  Abnormalities that appear on the skin are usually a sign of metabolism disorders and other glandular disorders in the body. Article by Yilmaz: skin mirroors health is no longer active.  What happens on the inside truly does show up on the outside.

Here are some examples of skin disorders signaling that something is not well within your body:

Pruritus: 

pruritis Pruritus or itchy skin may be caused by many conditions such a chemical irritants, drugs, insect stings, dry skin and allergy to certain foods. Itching may occur in one localized area or the entire body, and it may be accompanied by redness, pain, swelling, and even discharge from associated lesions or pustules.  Itchiness is the result of histamine levels increasing near the surface of your skin. If you're allergic to a chemical or food, your body will release immunoglobulin E [ IgE ] antibodies after you ingest the food. IgE antibodies trigger white blood cells to produce histamine, a bodily chemical that protects against infection. Histamine causes your blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow, which leads to inflammation, irritation and itchinessMarks: itchy skin & iodine 2011

The common over the counter home remedy is to use some type of lotion or skin moisturizer. The more enlightened might even use some type of natural skin care products. This is not a bad thing but it’s more like a band aid than a cure. Think about it – if you have to keep using skincare products over and over and over, is it really fixing the problem?

Prurigo nodularis

prurigoPrurigo nodularis PN is also known as Hyde prurigo nodularis ] is a skin disease characterized by small itchy spots or bumps which usually appear on the arms or legs. Cause unknown.  Patients react to itchiness by scratching.  Prurigo nodularis is very hard to treat, but current therapies include steroids, vitamins, cryosurgery, thalidomide and UVB light. Wiki: Prurigo PN

Shingles

Shingles [ herpes zoster ] is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox — the varicella-zoster virus. 

Certain foods tend to amplify and foster the recurrence of herpes symptoms. These foods are rich in an amino acid, Arginine that is glycogenic; which means that it can be converted into sugar that herpes simplex virus loves to eat.  In turn, more viruses gives you a more painful herpes outbreak than usual. Arginine rich foods to avoid during Herpes outbreaks include meat, brown rice, caffeine, raisins, seeds, soybeans, carob, lentils, tofu, wheat germ, coconut, peas, garlic, whole wheat flour, gelatin, oatmeal, chocolate foods and the nut family, especially peanut butter. Article about Avoid foods during herpes outbreak is no longer active.  Article about Foods triggering Herpes is no longer active.

A medical doctor, Richard Kunin, has successfully treated herpes patients with Iodide, destroying the herpes virus. Both oral and genital lesions are treatable this way; however there may be some stinging pain for a moment, though this is harmless. If the herpes is treated at the first sign of reddening or blistering, it will disappear overnight and is usually gone within 3 days. Even if the herpes is treated at a more advanced stage, the iodide will eventually get rid of the blister and shorten the duration by a couple of weeks from the expected 3 weeks from start to finish of a herpes outbreak. Directions for application: apply to affected area and allow 5 to 10 seconds for disinfectant action to be complete. If pain is excessive, blot with tissue or rinse off with water and quench with vitamin E oil. Article by Kunin iodine as healer 2011 is no longer active.   Another therapy advocated by Orthomolecular Medicine uses vitamin C to treat shingles. For more info on this, go to:  Orthomolecular Medicine: Vitamin C treatment for shingles 2005

Keloids

keloidKeloid is created through an overgrowth of collagen or skin tissue. The healing process of a scare is interrupted and the scar rises above the skin surface creating a solid, shiny overgrowth which may vary from a flesh color to red or dark brown. Marks: itchy skin & iodine 2011 Illustration on right is a keloid that formed when an ear piercing did not heal properly.

Medical doctor David Derry recommends the application of liquid iodine, such as SSKI or Lugol's iodine to eventually flatten the keloid to a "normal scar". This causes regeneration .... the old skin is eventually sloughed off and new skin appears minus the lesion.

Dr. Derry also found that a low thyroid or iodine deficiency condition needs to be addressed. It is his belief that iodine like Lugols is an important therapeutic agent for the skin. Article by Derry: Weapon against flu viruses is no longer active. 

Medical doctor Richard Kunin put potassium iodide on the nodule every few days and in the course of three months the nodule disappeared. Article by Kunin iodine as healer is no longer active. 

Warts: Application of iodide to warts is also effective but it may require a few months, depending on the size of the wart. I have seen plantar warts vanish after iodide and I would expect the tincture to be even more effective. Article by Kunin iodine as healer is no longer active.

The success of both medical  doctors treating skin keloids with iodine challenges the traditional medical approaches.

Rosacea  rosacea

This is an ancient skin disorder that is estimated to affect between 5 and 20 per cent of people worldwide, and 16 million in the US alone. Medical science has found it difficult to treat this disorder. But a medical doctor, Kevin Kavanagh of the National University of Ireland, in Maynooth, now thinks he has discovered the cause of rosacea: mites living in the pores of one's face as a possible cause of rosacea. He notes that one kind of bacteria in the mites' guts, Bacillus oleronius, is killed by the antibiotics that work against rosacea, and not by other types of antibiotics. His lab reported in June, 2012, that 80 per cent of people with the most common kind of rosacea have immune cells in their blood that react strongly to two proteins from B. Oleronius, releasing triggers of inflammation. Only 40 per cent of people without rosacea have this reaction. Barber: mites may cause rosacea 2012  MacKenzie: mites may cause rosacea 2012  

The significance of this finding raises the possibility that rosacea is fundamentally a bacterial disease resulting from the over proliferation of Demodex mites living in skin damaged as a result of adverse weathering, age or the production of sebum with an altered fatty acid content.  Barber: mites may cause rosacea 2012

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is shrouded in controversy. It has been widely believed there is no remedy for psoriasis.  Conventional medicine claims that since psoriasis has a genetic marker, it is an autoimmune disorder and cannot be cured.  On the other hand, Tullion Simonicini, MD, of Italy, claims to have treated psoriasis successfully on the observation that psoriasis is a fungus.  Psoriasis iodine therapy You may find detailed information about this on his website.    Pick your poison, so to speak, as whom you wish to believe!

psoriasis Psoriasis is a common, chronic, scaly rash that occurs when normal skin cell growth continues to grow. This disorder affects people of all ages [ about 2% of the population ]. Illustration on the right displays the white scales on the back of a head.  There is a genetic predisposition to psoriasis i.e. it tends to run in families. Psoriasis is also influenced by many environmental factors. It is not contagious and is not due to an allergy. Psoriasis iodine therapy  

Cause of Psoriasis: Psoriasis develops where there in an improper balance of two chemical regulators in the body called cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). When these two regulators are balanced, the cAMP is dominant over cGMP. If the cGMP becomes dominant, the skin develops a proliferation of skin cells. Iodine returns the natural balance to the skin through its antifungal properties.

We should concentrate on whether the tincture of iodine or Lugol's 2% solution works when applied on psoriasis and skin disorders. It is just conceivable that Simoncini is wrong about the diagnosis but correct about the treatment, i.e., that the treatment works for some other reason than he thinks it does. 

Maintaining Skin Health

Beauty is more than skin deep: "Our skin can reflect what's going on inside our body," says dermatologist Anne Chapas, M.D., of Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York City. A simple way to diagnose your health is to look at your skin in the MIRROR!

Although you may not have the expertise to interpret the signals that your body is sending to the skin,  your inner body is alerting you that you may have a health problem. It is important to be aware that this may be happening to you and your body.

What your skin shows on the outside says a lot about what’s going on inside your body. Chin acne may be a sign of: A HORMONE IMBALANCE while dark circles under your eyes – even after a full night’s sleep – may be a sign of: ALLERGIES.  In spite of these connections made by Chapas about acne and dark circles and what is going on inside one's body, the other connections between all the other numerous skin disorders and hidden diseases or disorders is still a fascinating mystery!  It may be that the skin functions mentioned earlier [ toxic poisons, pathogens ] are being reflected on the surface of the skin. 

Acne and eczema aren't just beauty dilemmas--they may actually be your skin's way of sending out an SOS that an illness is lurking in your body.  As dermatologist Anne Chapas points out: "As part of the immune system, the skin defends against environmental factors. But when your body is fighting an ailment, it can get overwhelmed and things like acne and redness can show up." Article by Giglo: skin reveals health is no longer active.  Writer Karina Giglo lists ways to read the signs in the mirror.  Article by Giglo: skin reveals health is no longer active. 

You can help keep your skin healthy by providing the nutrients [ food and supplements ] that the skin needs.  What you eat and drink is absolutely related to the health of your skin. Your skin will suffer if you are consuming too many (or any) processed foods, refined sugars and sweets, too many animal proteins, sodas, or refined salt.  Using beauty skin applications is the wrong way to restore skin health.  Instead of trying to give your skin relief from the outside with cosmetics, you need to restore skin health from the inside; that is, by good nutrition and avoiding processed foods, sugars and soft drinks.  Eating an alkali diet will also help to keep your skin [ and body ] healthy!

In addition to eating wholesome foods that provide the nutrients that the skin needs, the largest organ of the body needs adequate sleep and rest, a little sunshine, fresh air, and personal hygiene like washing the skin several times a day. 

Conclusion:  By focusing on treating symptoms like itchiness and pain instead of fixing the causes, Western medicine does not have a handle on skin disorders!  There is controversy about treating skin disorders.  There is also controversy as to whether psoriasis is a type of fungus or an inherited autoimmune disorder.  It may well be that psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that is infected with a fungus, and this may explain successful attempts to treat psoriasis with iodine and baking soda.

Dermal Iodine applications seem to relieve itchiness, and numerous skin disorders. The research on all of this is very weak. The exact relationship between an alkali body, diet and skin disorders is unclear at this time. It would also be prudent to conduct real good independent research on the psoriasis  controversy.

Finally, there may be a real connection between iodine deficiency in the body tissues and organs and diseases and disorders. Sorochan: iodine update 2011  

References:

Barber Joe, "Rosacea May Have a Bacterial Cause," Medscape Medical News, August 30, 2012.   Barber: mites may cause rosacea 2012

Case study phthalate Article about Case Study: phthalate cause liver problems is no longer active. 

"Skin cosmetic products: According to The Chemical Body Burden Org., phthalates have been shown to cause a wide array of health problems, from liver and kidney failure to heart, lung and blood pressure problems. They affect the reproductive development of fetuses and infants, and the reproductive tracts of males. You can find phthalates in breast milk, which means that babies are ingesting these chemicals as they develop. It has been shown to cause testicular atrophy and a reduced sperm count, among male infants.

HCWH tested 72 of the following kinds of cosmetics: Nail polish, fragrances (perfumes, body oils, etc.), hairsprays, deodorants and lotions. Fifty-two of these contained phthalates as ingredients, though none were listed on the labels. Most of the phthalate-containing products are household names: Aqua Net Professional Hair Spray; Degree Original Solid Deodorant; Nivea Créme lotion; Elizabeth Arden's Red Door fragrance; Calvin Klein's Eternity perfume. As Brody of HCWH points out, this is just the beginning: "It's impossible to know without testing which products contain phthalates. Just because some of the lotions we tried tested negative doesn't mean [all lotions are] clean." Until the manufacturers are required to label phthalates, there's no way to know for sure."

Darden Kathy, "Top Ten Habits for Good Skin, Health & Beauty," Shine from Yahoo, October 9, 2010.   Darden: habits for clear skin

Derry David, "Iodine: the Forgotten Weapon Against Influenza Viruses," Thyroid Science 4(8):R1-5, 2009. Article by Derry: Iodine forgotten weapon is no longer active. Article by Derry: Weapon against flu & viruses is no longeractive.

Orthomolecular Medicine, "Shingles [Herpes Zoster ] treatment that works," Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, June 15, 2005.   Orthomolecular Medicine: Vitamin C treatment for shingles 2005

Foods to avoid during herpes outbreak, "foods rich in arginine should be avoided at all cost." Article about Avoid foods during herpes outbreak is no longer active.

Giglio Karina, "What Your Skin Reveals About Your Health," Women's Health, Nov 07, 2011. Article by Giglo: skin reveals health 2011 is no longer active.

Herpes Free,   Article about Foods triggering Herpes is no longer active.

J. Crow's Marketplace, "LUGOL'S SOLUTION OF IODINE 2%: MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET," January 2011. Crow: Lugol's Iodine Factsheet       

Calculating Number of MG's of Iodine and Potassium Iodide per Drop of Lugol's Solution: LUGOL'S 5%: Each VERTICAL drop is about 6.25 mg's of iodine/potassium iodide (2.5 mg iodine, 3.75 mg potassium iodide) and 2 drops is about 12.50 mg's of iodine/potassium iodide (5.0 mg iodine, 7.50 mg potassium iodide). Compared to other's, J.CROW'S® Lugol's Solution offers big savings. LUGOL'S 2%: Slightly less than 1/2 half the above measurements = about 6.25 mg's. Crow: Factsheet.  

"Kaloid scares removal," Iodine resource.  Kaloid scares

Kunin Richard, “The healing powers of potassium iodide [SSKI], Ola Loa, April 19, 2011, Article by Kunin iodine as healer is no longer active.

MacKenzie Debora, "Rosacea may be caused by mite faeces in your pores," New Scientist Health, August 30, 2012. MacKenzie: mites may cause rosacea 2012  

Marks Diane, "Itchy Skin From Iodine Supplements," Livestrong,com, July 26, 2011.   Marks: itchy skin & iodine 2011

"Prurigo nodularis," Wikipedia.   Prurigo nodularis

Sorochan Walter, "Iodine update." July 03, 2011 Sorochan: iodine update 2011

Third Age:  Third Age: foods to avoid

" What foods to avoid during a shingles outbreak?
Answer: Foods to avoid during a shingles outbreak include: * Chocolate * Red wine * Peanuts * Cola * Coffee & tea * Sugar * Most nuts * Gelatine * Beer * Peas * Carob * Chick peas * Soya beans * Wheat * Coconut * Tomatoes * Mushrooms * Eggplant * Sesame and sunflower seeds * Brown rice * Oatmeal * Popcorn. These foods will aggravate the shingles virus and cause a prolonged response to it."

Van Eps Jill, "PSORIASIS HOME TREATMENT," Iodine Resource.  Van Eps: Psoriasis iodine therapy

Yilmaz Irfan, "It's me Peter, your Skin!" The Fountain, November - December 2009 Issue 72   Article by Yilmaz: skin mirroors health is no longer active.

Yonova D., "Pruritus in certain internal diseases," Hippokratia. 2007 Apr-Jun; 11(2): 67–71.   Yonova: Pruritus in diseases 2007

Wikipedia, "Prurigo nodularis."  Wiki: Prurigo PN

Wikipedia, "Skin," Wilipedia.   Wiki: Skin