As I shared at the 2016 GI Roundtable, I believe that helping patients lose weight and maintain weight loss is one of the single most effective treatments physicians can offer their patients to help them with long-term health. With endoscopic approaches for weight loss gaining traction, I see a real opportunity for weight management in GI private practices to help … Read More

I am pleased to announce Gastrointestinal Associates’ launch of GIA 180, a new weight loss management division that uses a balanced, multifaceted and surgery-free approach to weight loss featuring ORBERA™, the global market leader for intragastric balloons. To help acquaint you with the program, here are answers to some frequently asked questions.

Before buying a new car, many people spend lots of time reading professional reviews, visiting dealerships and talking to friends and family members with the same car to see how they like it. They want to be sure their money is going into a top-quality vehicle. But are we as careful when it comes to our health? Sadly, most of … Read More

You may have heard about Cologuard, a stool-based colorectal screening test that received FDA approval in 2014 and now is available by prescription. The noninvasive test detects DNA from abnormal cells and hemoglobin from red blood cells that may indicate the presence of certain kinds of growths that could be cancerous, such as colon cancer, or precursors to cancer. While colonoscopies … Read More

Put down the greasy hamburger and put on your walking shoes. If I told you that losing weight by eating healthy and being more active could cut in half your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, would you listen? What if I told you that in America diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, blindness and non-traumatic amputation? Unfortunately, … Read More

Gastrointestinal Associates, along with Endocrinology Consultants of East Tennessee, is proud to be participating in a national clinical trial to explore the effectiveness and safety of an investigational treatment for type 2 diabetes that centers on the use of a thin, flexible tubular sleeve (liner) called the EndoBarrier. The trial, the ENDO Trial, will provide valuable information on the use … Read More

When faced with the need for surgery, many people will seek advice from friends, family and other doctors before settling on a surgeon, but few patients are as diligent when it comes to choosing the physician who performs their colonoscopy. Does it matter? Very much so.

Early morning activity is commonplace on weekdays at Gastrointestinal Associates’ Weisgarber Road office because people who have fasted for screening tests want to get them finished as soon as possible. However, GIA was a beehive of activity Saturday before dawn as a group of about 50 people who also had been fasting arrived for a health screening – one that … Read More

There is progress in the war against cancer, and Gastrointestinal Associates is on the forefront of this effort. The overall risk of cancer death has decreased by 20 percent over the past two decades, with colon, breast and prostate cancers showing the most improvement. The American Cancer Society credits the shift to improved prevention, screening and treatment.