Food Sensitivity Testing in Greenville, SC
Food Sensitivity Testing at IHP Greenville. Dr. Hendry, DAOM — functional medicine, root-cause diagnostics, personalized care. Call (864) 365-6156.
"I have to say that finding this clinic was a true miracle. At the beginning of 2019 I got to the low point of my health and landed in the ER. Medical doctors told me I just had a GI issue and should just take some meds for it. Dr. Hendry changed everything for me."
— Tat V. · April 2020 · Google Review
A patient with chronic migraines, joint aching, and brain fog eliminates gluten randomly and feels 40% better, but doesn't know if it's the gluten, the wheat, or something else in bread. The 2013 Cephalalgia trial showed IgG-based elimination diets reduced headache frequency by 40% compared to controls — but the methodology was testing-guided, not random. IgG food sensitivity testing identifies which foods are driving delayed immune reactions so the elimination is specific and the gut healing protocol addresses the leaky barrier that allowed sensitivity development. When a patient comes back with reactivity to 20 foods, that's not 20 permanent food eliminations — that's a leaky gut diagnosis with a clear repair protocol.
How Food Sensitivity Testing Works
Food sensitivity testing uses a blood sample to measure IgG antibody levels against 96–200+ common foods. Dr. Hendry reviews results in the context of your clinical presentation and implements a structured elimination-reintroduction protocol — removing reactive foods for 4–6 weeks while healing the gut, then systematically reintroducing to confirm true sensitivities. This process is far more reliable than random food elimination without testing guidance.
Conditions Treated with Food Sensitivity Testing
IgG Food Sensitivity Testing vs. Standard Skin Prick Allergy Testing
Conventional allergy testing uses the skin prick test, which measures IgE-mediated reactions — the immune pathway responsible for immediate, potentially anaphylactic responses to foods like peanuts or shellfish. IgE testing misses the far more common category of IgG-mediated food sensitivities, which produce delayed reactions (4–72 hours post-consumption) affecting an estimated 15–30% of the population. A patient with chronic migraines, joint pain, and brain fog may have clear IgG reactivity to dairy, eggs, and gluten — none of which would appear on a standard skin prick test. At IHP, Dr. Hendry uses a 96–200 food IgG panel to identify these delayed reactors, then implements a structured elimination-reintroduction protocol to confirm clinically significant sensitivities. Rather than lifelong food avoidance, the goal is identifying and healing the underlying gut permeability that allowed sensitivity development in the first place, often allowing most reactive foods to be reintroduced after the gut barrier is repaired.
Research & Evidence
IgG-mediated food sensitivities and their clinical management are supported by research on gut permeability and immune tolerance. Fasano (2012, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) established that intestinal permeability permits dietary antigens to contact the systemic immune system, generating IgG responses to foods that would otherwise be tolerated. The connection between food sensitivities and migraine headaches is documented in multiple studies, including a 2013 trial in Cephalalgia showing that IgG-based elimination diets reduced headache frequency by 40% compared to controls. Sonnenburg and Bäckhed (2016, Nature) documented how gut microbiome composition determines the immune system's response to dietary antigens — reinforcing the connection between gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, and expanded food reactivity.
Your First Appointment
Bring a food diary if possible. Describe any foods you already suspect are problematic, any prior allergy or sensitivity testing, and the pattern of your symptoms relative to eating.
Why Dr. Hendry for Food Sensitivity Testing
Dr. Hendry's gut-brain-immune axis expertise allows him to interpret food sensitivity results within the broader context of leaky gut, gut dysbiosis, and systemic inflammation — not in isolation.