Heavy Metal Detox in Greenville, SC
Heavy Metal Detox 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
Genuis's 2011 data showed mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic excreted in sweat at concentrations sometimes exceeding urine — which means the sauna is doing meaningful elimination work that renal excretion is not. That finding reframes the infrared sauna from a wellness amenity to a genuine clinical elimination tool in a heavy metal protocol. I don't start chelation until the elimination pathways are fully supported — liver phase II conjugation capacity, kidney function, bowel transit. Mobilizing stored metals into circulation before the exit routes are open is how patients get worse, not better. I test the burden first, sequence the protocol correctly, and retest at 90 days to confirm the numbers are actually moving.
How Heavy Metal Detox Works
Heavy metal detox begins with provocative urine testing (urine collected after a chelation agent dose to mobilize bound metals) or hair mineral analysis for ongoing chronic exposure patterns. Based on findings, Dr. Hendry implements a sequenced protocol: first preparing elimination pathways (liver, kidney, and gut support), then introducing binding and chelation agents (DMSA for mercury and lead; modified citrus pectin for GI metal binding; chlorella, cilantro, and NAC for ongoing support), with ozone therapy and infrared sauna to enhance mobilization and elimination.
Conditions Treated with Heavy Metal Detox
Natural Heavy Metal Detox Protocol vs. Pharmaceutical Chelation Only
Conventional medicine uses pharmaceutical chelation therapy (EDTA, DMSA, DMPS) primarily for acute, high-level metal poisoning — not for the chronic, low-level metal accumulation that drives neurological and immune dysfunction in many patients. At the low-to-moderate burden levels most commonly identified in functional medicine testing, pharmaceutical chelation carries risks (mineral depletion, kidney stress) that outweigh benefits in the absence of documented acute toxicity. Dr. Hendry's natural heavy metal protocol uses a sequenced approach: first supporting and optimizing elimination pathways (liver phase I/II support, kidney function, gut transit), then introducing natural chelating and binding agents — modified citrus pectin, chlorella, N-acetylcysteine, and alpha-lipoic acid — that have documented metal-binding properties with a favorable safety profile. Infrared sauna enhances sweat-based elimination of metals that are not readily excreted via urine or stool. Ozone therapy activates the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway, upregulating the body's own metallothionein (metal-binding proteins) and glutathione systems. Testing documents baseline burden and monitors progress, ensuring the protocol is producing measurable metal reduction.
Research & Evidence
Chronic low-level heavy metal exposure has documented associations with neurological dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and immune dysregulation at blood and urine levels below the conventional toxicity threshold. Genuis et al. (2011, ISRN Toxicology) demonstrated that induced sweating via sauna produced significant excretion of mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic in sweat — in some cases at concentrations exceeding urine — establishing sweating as a meaningful and accessible metal elimination pathway. Research on modified citrus pectin (MCP) by Eliaz et al. (2007, Phytotherapy Research) showed a 74% increase in urinary arsenic excretion and 150% increase in urinary cadmium excretion following MCP supplementation in a controlled trial. Alpha-lipoic acid, a powerful dithiol chelating agent, has documented mercury and arsenic chelation activity in cellular and animal research, and clinical evidence for reducing the neurological effects of heavy metal exposure.
Your First Appointment
Describe metal exposure history: dental amalgam fillings (mercury), occupational exposures, tuna/swordfish consumption (mercury), living near industrial facilities (lead, cadmium), well water testing history (lead, arsenic). Bring any prior heavy metal testing. Neurological and cognitive symptoms with known exposure history warrant investigation.
Why Dr. Hendry for Heavy Metal Detox
Dr. Hendry's functional medicine training in heavy metal toxicology and detoxification biochemistry, combined with his ozone therapy and Chinese herbal medicine expertise, provides a comprehensive heavy metal detox toolkit.