Iodine: yes, painting it on the skin will work, taking it as a supplement will work, but taking it as part of a piece of seaweed will work better. Iodine is easy to overdose in pure form, and an overdose will cause cellular edema, skin rashes (reportedly very stubborn), and increase one's susceptibility to infections and inflammations. None of this will happen with seaweed, however, which has, among other things, a natural form of Mono-Sodium-Glutamat (Natrium Glutamat) (sic!) -- a completely safe form of MSG, unlike its neurotoxic "pure" chemical counterpart! -- that will protect the tissues from the "side effects" of pure iodine.