Autoimmune Disease Treatment in Greenville, SC
Integrative autoimmune disease treatment in Greenville, SC. Dr. Hendry addresses gut dysbiosis, inflammation, and immune triggers naturally. Call (864) 365-6156.
"Dr. Hendry spent a long time going over my particular medical situation and explaining his recommendations for getting my immune system back on track. I received acupuncture and supplements to start my treatment. I'm very excited about getting healthy again."
— Cam Norden · July 2025 · Google Review
What Is Autoimmune Disease?
Twenty-three million Americans have an autoimmune disease. Most of them received a diagnosis, a prescription for an immunosuppressant or corticosteroid, and an implicit message that management is the best they can hope for. The functional medicine question is different: why is the immune system attacking its own tissue? Not as a philosophical question — as a clinically actionable one. Because in most autoimmune conditions, there are identifiable biological drivers that conventional treatment doesn't address. Intestinal permeability allows bacterial antigens into circulation, where molecular mimicry turns an immune response against a pathogen into an attack on self-tissue. Vitamin D deficiency reduces the regulatory T-cell activity that holds autoimmune reactivity in check. Specific environmental triggers — infections, heavy metals, dietary antigens — provoke the initial immune response. These aren't theories. Intestinal permeability is documented in virtually every autoimmune condition studied. EBV activation is firmly linked to multiple sclerosis, lupus, and Hashimoto's onset. Addressing these drivers doesn't replace rheumatology or gastroenterology — it addresses what they're not designed to look for.
Common Symptoms
Root Causes: A Functional Medicine Perspective
Autoimmune disease arises at the intersection of genetic susceptibility, environmental triggers, and immune dysregulation. The gut is central: the majority of the immune system resides in the gastrointestinal tract, and intestinal permeability (leaky gut) is found in virtually every autoimmune condition. Leaky gut allows bacterial antigens to enter the bloodstream, triggering immune activation that can cross-react with self-tissues through molecular mimicry.
Environmental triggers include: specific infections (EBV triggers multiple sclerosis and lupus susceptibility), dietary antigens (gluten in celiac disease and related conditions), heavy metal exposure, pesticides, and hormonal factors (explaining the female predominance in autoimmune disease — estrogen modulates immune reactivity). Vitamin D deficiency is a significant modifiable risk factor for autoimmune development.
How We Treat Autoimmune Disease at IHP
Dr. Hendry's functional medicine approach to autoimmune disease focuses on the modifiable factors that drive immune dysregulation: healing intestinal permeability through dietary changes and targeted supplementation (glutamine, zinc carnosine, colostrum), eliminating dietary antigens that perpetuate immune activation (systematic elimination and reintroduction), optimizing vitamin D status, supporting regulatory T cell function, and reducing environmental toxin burden.
Acupuncture has immunomodulatory effects — regulating the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory immune activity. For inflammatory arthritis, acupuncture reduces joint inflammation and pain. For autoimmune conditions involving the gut (Crohn's, ulcerative colitis), acupuncture regulates gut motility, reduces mucosal inflammation, and supports mucosal immunity. Chinese herbal formulas with documented immunomodulatory activity are an important component of Dr. Hendry's autoimmune protocols.
Dr. Hendry's Approach
I work with rheumatologists and gastroenterologists, not around them. A patient on methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis still benefits from gut healing, anti-inflammatory nutrition, and vitamin D optimization — those interventions don't interfere with conventional treatment and often improve its effectiveness. What I'm doing in parallel to conventional care is addressing the identifiable biological drivers that the specialist isn't equipped to address: why is this immune system activated? What's the gut permeability status? What's the vitamin D level? Are there specific food triggers? Is there EBV reactivation in the picture? These questions have answers, and the answers sometimes change the clinical trajectory dramatically.