Food Sensitivities Treatment in Greenville, SC
Food sensitivity testing and treatment in Greenville, SC. Dr. Hendry identifies hidden food reactions driving your chronic symptoms. Call (864) 365-6156.
What Is Food Sensitivities?
Food sensitivities (also called food intolerances or non-IgE food reactions) are delayed immune reactions to specific foods that produce a wide range of symptoms — typically appearing 2–72 hours after consumption, making the connection to specific foods very difficult to identify without systematic testing. Unlike true food allergies (IgE-mediated, immediate reactions), food sensitivities involve IgG antibodies, T-cell mediated reactions, and direct intestinal permeability effects, producing chronic, diffuse symptoms rather than acute reactions.
Common Symptoms
Root Causes: A Functional Medicine Perspective
Food sensitivities develop when intestinal permeability allows partially digested food proteins to enter the bloodstream, where they stimulate immune responses. Once sensitized, the immune system reacts to those proteins with each subsequent exposure, generating inflammatory mediators that cause symptoms in various organ systems.
The most common food sensitivity triggers are: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, nightshades, and high-FODMAP foods. Gluten sensitivity (non-celiac) is increasingly recognized as a real and prevalent condition distinct from celiac disease, capable of causing neurological, gastrointestinal, and systemic symptoms. Healing the underlying intestinal permeability — not just avoiding trigger foods — is essential for long-term recovery.
How We Treat Food Sensitivities at IHP
Dr. Hendry uses a systematic elimination and reintroduction protocol as the gold-standard approach to food sensitivity identification. IgG food sensitivity testing provides a useful guide for the elimination phase, though elimination-challenge remains the definitive diagnostic tool. The elimination diet is followed for 30–60 days (long enough for immune reactivity to clear) before systematic reintroduction of one food every 3 days.
Concurrently, the gut is healed through a 5R protocol: Remove irritants, Replace digestive factors, Reinoculate the microbiome, Repair the gut lining, and Rebalance lifestyle factors. This protocol addresses the root cause — intestinal permeability — rather than simply avoiding trigger foods indefinitely.
Dr. Hendry's Approach
Dr. Hendry provides detailed, practical guidance through the elimination and reintroduction process — a protocol that is simple in concept but requires clear instruction to execute effectively. He monitors patient response, adjusts the protocol based on findings, and ensures adequate nutritional intake throughout the elimination period.