Detoxification Therapy in Greenville, SC
Detoxification Therapy at IHP Greenville. Dr. Hendry, DAOM — functional medicine, root-cause diagnostics, personalized care. Call (864) 365-6156.
"I have been going to Dr. Hendry for 2 months now, for Acupuncture and Supplements. After 2 months, this is the best I have felt in over 2 years. My energy is so much better, my gut and digestion is back to normal."
— Danny Pyatt · March 2026 · Google Review
The liver performs ongoing biotransformation through CYP450 phase I enzymes and phase II conjugation — but that system requires specific substrates: B vitamins, glutathione precursors, sulfur compounds, magnesium, molybdenum. When those substrates are depleted through poor diet, chronic inflammation, or genetic methylation variants, phase I runs faster than phase II and reactive intermediates accumulate. That's the patient who is exquisitely sensitive to perfumes, alcohol, and medications — not psychosomatic, biochemically impaired detox. I test the toxin burden first, identify the pathway bottlenecks, then sequence the interventions: open the elimination pathways before mobilizing anything, because releasing toxins faster than you can clear them is the mistake commercial "cleanse" products make every time.
How Detoxification Therapy Works
Detoxification treatment at IHP combines functional medicine testing (heavy metal urine provocation, mycotoxin panel, organic acids for toxin metabolite markers), acupuncture (for liver function support and autonomic regulation), Chinese herbal medicine (liver-supportive formulas — Long Dan Xie Gan Tang for Liver Damp-Heat, Yin Chen Hao Tang for liver toxin patterns), ozone therapy (Nrf2 activation and antioxidant upregulation), infrared sauna (sweat-based elimination), and targeted nutritional support for phase I/II liver detox pathways.
Conditions Treated with Detoxification Therapy
Clinical Detoxification vs. Juice Cleanses and Retail Detox Products
The commercial detox industry markets products — juice cleanses, herbal teas, lemon-cayenne protocols — with unsubstantiated claims and no mechanism for measurable toxin elimination. The liver, kidneys, and skin do perform detoxification continuously, but their capacity can be overwhelmed by chronic toxin exposure, impaired by nutritional deficiencies (glutathione, methionine, B vitamins), and compromised by gut dysbiosis that increases enterohepatic recirculation of toxins. Clinical detoxification at IHP is a different category: it begins with testing (heavy metal provoked urine, mycotoxin panel, organic acids for toxin metabolite markers) to identify specific burdens; it assesses phase I and phase II liver detoxification pathway function; it uses evidence-based binders, chelation agents, and nutritional support to enhance actual toxin elimination; and it measures outcomes. Infrared sauna produces documented heavy metal excretion in sweat — Genuis et al. (2011) measured significant mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic concentrations in sweat that were not present in equivalent urine samples. This is measurable, mechanism-driven intervention — not wellness theater.
Research & Evidence
Evidence for sweat-based toxin elimination through sauna is provided by Genuis et al. (2011, ISRN Toxicology), which documented that sweating induced by dry sauna produced significant concentrations of mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, and BPA in sweat samples — in some subjects at levels exceeding urine concentrations — establishing sweat as a meaningful excretion pathway for environmental toxins. Research on the phase II liver detoxification pathway demonstrates that glutathione, N-acetylcysteine, and sulforaphane (from cruciferous vegetables) enhance phase II conjugation capacity, reducing the accumulation of reactive phase I metabolites. Methylation genetics (particularly MTHFR variants) affect folate metabolism and phase II detoxification capacity — an increasingly recognized factor in individual variation in toxin sensitivity and detoxification efficacy.
Your First Appointment
Describe known toxin exposures: mold (water-damaged buildings, visible mold), amalgam fillings, occupational chemical exposures, high fish consumption (mercury), residence near industrial facilities. Bring any prior toxin testing. Symptoms of toxin burden: unexplained fatigue, brain fog, chemical sensitivities, and poor tolerance to alcohol or environmental chemicals are all relevant.
Why Dr. Hendry for Detoxification Therapy
Dr. Hendry's functional medicine training in liver detoxification biochemistry (CYP450 phase I enzymes, phase II conjugation pathways, glutathione recycling) gives him a mechanistic understanding of detoxification that guides precise, targeted intervention.