Michelle Meeks wrote: >The skin is made up of cells like any other part of our bodies and so are semipermeable. I really didn't intend to get involved in this discussion, but can't help it. ;-) The skin is not just a layer of semi-permeable cells, as are other 'outer' layers of the body like the gut and lung linings. There are layers of dead cells, etc (stratum corneum????) that are *not* permeable like other tissues in our bodies. (Note - I am writing this from memory - no textbooks!) If we were 'permeable' like described, we couldn't swim in the ocean without getting dehydrated! Or walk in the rain or swim in fresh water without becoming oedematous! The example someone posted about the skin going wrinkly in the bath to explain fluid movement into the body just means that the outer (dead) skin layer itself is waterlogged - not that it is absorbed into the body from the bath water. *Topical* patch and other meds work by the chemicals (usually steroid or at least not water-soluble) moving *slowly* through the membranes and layers of skin. Hydrophobic substances move more readily than water-soluble ones, as the inner layer of cell membranes is lipid (ie hydrophobic). The water movement of osmosis is quite a different issue. I don't know if I have explained this very well, but I found the explanations recently given on Lactnet for why fluid *can* move in and out of the body through the skin rather erroneous. People have taken basic physiological mechanisms and applied them inappropriately. I hope this doesn't offend anyone - it was not intended to do this. The end result, in relation the epsom salts, is that I don't believe it can work directly through the skin as suggested. I am not saying that it doesn't work to reduce the oedema, I just still don't know how, if it does. But it is not that simple! ****************************************************************** Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor Perth, Western Australia. mailto:[log in to unmask] ****************************************************************** *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html