Leaky Gut Treatment in Greenville, SC
Leaky Gut Treatment at IHP Greenville. Dr. Hendry, DAOM — functional medicine, root-cause diagnostics, personalized care. Call (864) 365-6156.
"I was referred to Dr. Will Hendry after spending thousands of dollars for medical doctors and procedures regarding a digestive issue. I will never forget the amount of time he spent with me on my first visit — something that had never happened with conventional medicine."
— Stuart M. · April 2015 · Google Review
Fasano's research established that gluten stimulates zonulin release — which loosens intestinal tight junctions — in non-celiac individuals. Not just in celiac disease. The ramification is that intestinal permeability is not rare. It's created by NSAIDs, chronic stress cortisol, emulsifiers in processed foods, antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, and certain food exposures. When the barrier opens, bacterial lipopolysaccharide reaches systemic circulation, triggers TLR4 immune activation, and drives the chronic low-grade inflammation behind autoimmune disease, food sensitivity expansion, and brain fog. The 4R repair protocol — Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair — sequences the interventions in the order the biology requires.
How Leaky Gut Treatment Works
Leaky gut treatment is a sequenced protocol: Remove inflammatory triggers (identified foods, pathogenic organisms via gut testing), Replace digestive enzyme and HCl support, Reinoculate with targeted probiotics and prebiotic fiber, and Repair the gut lining (L-glutamine, zinc carnosine, DGL, collagen peptides, deglycyrrhizinated licorice). This is typically combined with acupuncture for gut motility regulation and autonomic balance, and Chinese herbal medicine for Spleen Qi tonification (which corresponds to the intestinal integrity function in Chinese medicine).
Conditions Treated with Leaky Gut Treatment
Leaky Gut Repair vs. Symptom Suppression
A patient has been on proton pump inhibitors for acid reflux for four years. Her gastroenterologist says the endoscopy is unremarkable. She still has bloating after meals, food reactions that seem to expand over time, joint aching, brain fog, and fatigue — symptoms her GI doctor doesn't associate with her gut. At IHP, Dr. Hendry tests for intestinal permeability (zonulin elevated), gut dysbiosis (Lactobacillus depleted, Candida overgrowth, H. pylori detected), and IgG food sensitivities. PPIs reduce stomach acid — which relieves reflux symptoms but impairs protein digestion, reduces absorption of magnesium, calcium, and B12, and allows bacteria to colonize the small intestine where they don't belong (SIBO). In many cases, acid suppression worsens the gut environment over time while masking the symptom that would have prompted earlier treatment. Leaky gut repair addresses why the reflux developed — typically low stomach acid causing bacterial fermentation and upward pressure, not acid excess — and restores gut barrier integrity without the long-term risks of indefinite acid suppression.
Research & Evidence
The leaky gut model — increased intestinal permeability allowing bacterial endotoxins and undigested food particles into systemic circulation — has been validated in peer-reviewed research across multiple conditions. Fasano (2012) in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences established zonulin as the primary regulator of intestinal tight junctions and demonstrated its role in autoimmune disease pathogenesis. Research on L-glutamine, zinc carnosine, and specific probiotic strains shows meaningful restoration of intestinal barrier function in clinical trials, providing a mechanistic basis for the nutritional interventions used in leaky gut treatment.
Your First Appointment
Describe your digestive symptoms and any known associations with food. History of NSAID use, antibiotic courses, alcohol consumption, high-stress periods, or prior gut infections are relevant — all damage the gut barrier. Bring any prior GI testing.
Why Dr. Hendry for Leaky Gut Treatment
Dr. Hendry's functional medicine training in gut-immune axis biology, combined with his Chinese medicine Spleen/Stomach clinical expertise, provides a uniquely comprehensive approach to leaky gut repair.