To supplement the iodine in a patient’s diet, doctors used to use Lugol's solution, a mix of iodine and iodide. But it's messy, irritates the stomach, and can mildly stain teeth.

Some doctors recommend relatively high doses of iodine supplements each day — greater than 12 mg. But it's best if you take these higher doses only under the supervision of a holistic physician, because doses over 13,000 mcg a day may suppress thyroid function.

There are two other cautions:

1. A small percent of those with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis will occasionally flare when taking an iodine supplement (even in a multivitamin). This usually goes away over time, and the iodine is actually helpful for the condition. And many doctors who use high-dose iodine report they see less sensitivity in folks with Hashimoto's who start with a high, rather than a low, dose.

2. If you have a known iodine allergy (usually an allergic reaction to the iodine used in x-ray dyes), you shouldn't take iodine. Having said that, I've never seen anyone who had this type of allergic reaction also react to an iodine supplement — but better safe than sorry.

Diet and lifestyle changes can also help you get increase your iodine. For instance, there are a higher percentage of centenarians on the island of Okinawa than there are anywhere else in the world — and it's reported that they ingest between 80 and 200 mcg of iodine daily. I think it's a good idea for everyone to get at least 150-200 mcg. And there are several ways to make sure you do just that:

1. Seafood tends to be high in iodine. An especially rich source is seaweed, such as kelp. This is why the average Japanese women who eats a lot of seaweed gets 12,500 mcg of iodine in her daily diet — and maybe why she's a lot healthier than the average American woman, who is lucky if she gets 150 mcg daily. It also may be why breast cancer is much less common in Japan than in the U.S., where the breast cancer rate is three times higher than Japan's!

2. If you eat a lot of soy products, cut back — especially unfermented soy (e.g., soy milk, soy cheese, and soy protein added to food). Large amounts of soy can block thyroid function, though this is less of a problem with fermented soy products, like tempeh and tofu.

3. If your local water contains fluoride, consider a filter that eliminates it. Avoid bromide, too, when you can. (One unusual source: chemicals added to hot tubs to stop the growth of unwanted bacteria. There are other options available.)