Hormonal Imbalance Treatment in Greenville, SC
Hormonal Imbalance Treatment at IHP Greenville. Dr. Hendry, DAOM — functional medicine, root-cause diagnostics, personalized care. Call (864) 365-6156.
"I drive past his office every day, I'm so glad a trusted friend referred me! Dr. Hendry and I are working on hormone overall balance and possible estrogen dominance. I get acupuncture and love the results."
— Katlyn Garcia · April 2022 · Google Review
Hannibal and Bishop's work established that chronic cortisol elevation competitively displaces progesterone from glucocorticoid receptors — meaning a patient with adrenal dysregulation presents with progesterone insufficiency and estrogen dominance as a downstream consequence, not a primary ovarian problem. I've seen this pattern enough times to check adrenal function before attributing every hormonal symptom to ovarian decline. DHEA is the biosynthetic precursor for both testosterone and estrogen. When DHEA depletes under chronic stress, both decline simultaneously. The treatment is adrenal restoration, not sex hormone replacement.
How Hormonal Imbalance Treatment Works
Hormonal imbalance treatment combines comprehensive functional hormone testing, acupuncture (for HPG axis regulation, HPA axis normalization, and constitutional support), Chinese herbal medicine (classical formulas that regulate hormonal patterns have been used effectively for thousands of years), dietary and lifestyle guidance, and targeted supplementation based on lab findings.
Conditions Treated with Hormonal Imbalance Treatment
Full HPA-HPG Axis Evaluation vs. Oral Contraceptive Pill for Hormonal Imbalance
The oral contraceptive pill is a highly effective intervention for cycle regulation, endometriosis pain management, and acne with hormonal drivers. It is also the most commonly prescribed response to a reported hormonal imbalance, regardless of the underlying mechanism. A 38-year-old woman with irregular cycles, midcycle spotting, PMS, low libido, and persistent fatigue is prescribed combination OCP. Her cycles regularize while on medication, but her fatigue worsens, libido does not improve, and she develops worsening anxiety in the third week of each pill pack. The synthetic progestins in combination OCP have documented glucocorticoid receptor activity, worsening HPA axis dysregulation in patients whose underlying problem is adrenal-driven progesterone insufficiency. Our evaluation reveals a flat diurnal cortisol curve, DHEA-S below the 15th percentile for her age, free testosterone at the lower reference limit, luteal phase progesterone below 10 ng/mL, and vitamin D at 21 ng/mL. The hormonal imbalance is adrenal in origin. Targeted adrenal restoration through adaptogenic herbs, DHEA support where indicated, vitamin D repletion, and acupuncture protocols targeting the HPG axis restores endogenous hormone production rather than substituting exogenous hormones that do not address the root dysregulation.
Research & Evidence
Hormonal imbalance in women and men involves disruption across an interconnected network encompassing gonadal hormones, adrenal output, thyroid function, and insulin signaling, all of which communicate through shared receptor systems and compete for the same enzymatic pathways. Hannibal and Bishop (Phys Ther. 2014) demonstrated that chronic cortisol elevation competitively displaces progesterone from glucocorticoid receptors and suppresses LH pulsatility, producing luteal phase deficiency and estrogen dominance as downstream consequences of adrenal dysfunction rather than primary ovarian pathology. DHEA, the most abundant adrenal steroid, serves as the biosynthetic precursor for both testosterone and estrogen; Hannibal and Bishop documented its progressive decline under chronic cortisol-driven adrenal suppression, contributing to low libido, fatigue, and cognitive symptoms that persist despite estrogen replacement. Aranow (J Investig Med. 2011) established that vitamin D receptors are expressed on granulosa cells and regulate follicular development, ovarian steroidogenesis, and progesterone synthesis, making vitamin D deficiency a direct contributor to cycle irregularity. Our comprehensive hormone evaluation includes estradiol, progesterone, testosterone free and total, DHEA-S, cortisol curve, SHBG, LH, FSH, and prolactin, assessed at the appropriate cycle phase and interpreted in the context of the full HPA-HPG axis interaction.
Your First Appointment
Describe your hormonal symptoms in detail: energy pattern, sleep quality, weight changes, skin/hair changes, libido, mood, and menstrual pattern (for women). Bring any prior hormone lab results.
Why Dr. Hendry for Hormonal Imbalance Treatment
Dr. Hendry's functional medicine training in endocrinology, combined with his classical Chinese medicine gynecology expertise, gives him a uniquely comprehensive toolkit for hormonal imbalance — from PCOS to adrenal fatigue to perimenopause.