Achalasia Center - Alhambra, CA
Alhambra Gastroenterologist Doctors for AchalasiaType of Physician: Gastroenterologist What is a Gastroenterologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated. Specialty: Gastroenterology Common Name: GI Doctor Gastroenterologist Doctors in Alhambra * Thomas S Lam MD  Robert J Mehler MD  Kwok-Leung Chung MD  Chun Yen Hsu MD  Shih Lin Lue MD  Dennis Chan MD  Firmin Ho MD  Chia-Chi G Lai MD  Barry Morguelan MD  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Chester D Zahn MD  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Gastroenterology Associates  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Gastroenterology Associates  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Tu Tran MD  Mark Li MD  Hanson T Lee Inc  Jay Noble MD  USC Internal Medicine  Lisandro Quinones MD  Abdul Alaama MD  Edward Laurance MD  Ethelred Carter MD  White Memorial Medical Group  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Glendale Gastroenterology Medical Group  Glendale Gastroenterology Medical Group  Ioana A Bina MD Inc  David Shih MD  Jun-Ichi Ohara MD  Matsumoto Internal Medicine  Artoon Arakel MD  Vincente Villa Jr. MD  Conrad A Cox MD  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  William Loebman MD  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Elming Djans MD  Michael Klein MD  W David Mello MD  William P Stuppy MD  Drs Sial & Cohen  West Gastroenterology Associates  Drs Sial & Cohen  West Gastroenterology Associates  Ho S Bae MD  Laser Endoscopy Medical Group  Robert A Mecum MD  Anastacio Pinzon MD  Richard L Parks MD & Barton Ueki MD  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastro Digestive Medical Group  Frischer Medical Group  Steven J Weiss MD  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  Mingquan Bussarakum MD  Rangarao Panguluri MD  Multi Health Care Medical Group  Jin H Suh MD  Paul Choi MD  B Raymond Lim MD & Myoza T Lim MD  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  Pyoung I Kwon MD  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  Martin H Lee MD  Western Healthcare  Digestive Disease Center  Gastroenterology Consultants  Mumtaz Akram MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Neal M Shindel MD  Yong Tai Lee MD  Kenny Su MD  Shang Cheng Wu MD  Esmail Hessami MD  LAC / Martin Luther King Jr General Hospital  Rapid Care Urgent Care  Michael Albertson MD  Lakeside Medical Associates  Lakeside Medical Associates  Digestive Health Consultants Alhambra, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-05-20
2012-06-10
2012-06-10
2012-06-30
2012-07-04
2012-07-15
2012-07-28
2012-09-01
2012-09-30
2012-10-07
AchalasiaWhat is achalasia?Achalasia is a rare disease of the muscle of the esophagus (swallowing tube). The term achalasia means "failure to relax" and refers to the inability of the lower esophageal sphincter (a ring of muscle situated between the lower esophagus and the stomach) to open and let food pass into the stomach. As a result, patients with achalasia have difficulty in swallowing food.
How does the normal esophagus function?The esophagus has three functional parts. The uppermost part is the upper esophageal sphincter, a specialized ring of muscle that forms the upper end of the tubular esophagus and separates the esophagus from the throat. The upper sphincter remains closed most of the time to prevent food in the main part of the esophagus from backing up into the throat. The main part of the esophagus is referred to as the body of the esophagus, a long, muscular tube approximately 20 cm (8 in) in length. The third functional part of the esophagus is the lower esophageal sphincter, a ring of specialized esophageal muscle at the junction of the esophagus with the stomach. Like the upper sphincter, the lower sphincter remains closed most of the time to prevent food and acid from backing up into the body of the esophagus from the stomach. The upper sphincter relaxes with swallowing to allow food and saliva to pass from the throat into the esophageal body. The muscle in the upper esophagus just below the upper sphincter then contracts, squeezing food and saliva further down into the esophageal body. The ring-like contraction of the muscle progresses down the body of the esophagus, propelling the food and saliva towards the stomach. (The progression of the muscular contraction through the esophageal body is referred to as a peristaltic wave.). By the time the peristaltic wave reaches the lower sphincter, the sphincter has opened, and the food passes into the stoma... Recommended Reading Related to AchalasiaWhat is dysphagia?Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty swallowing, derived from the Latin and Greek words meaning difficulty eating. Mechanism of swallowing Swallowing is a complex action.
Other Related Achalasia ArticlesEmergency Contact for Alhambra
Nearby Alhambra Hospitals *Alhambra Hospital Medical Center San Gabriel Valley Medical Center Garfield Medical Center City of Angels Medical Center Ingleside Campus Monterey Park Hospital Huntington Hospital BHC Alhambra Hospital Aurora Las Encinas Hospital USC University Hospital USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center LAC + USC Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center Women's & Children's Hospital Beverly Hospital Methodist Hospital East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Greater El Monte Community Hospital White Memorial Medical Center Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Los Angeles Community Hospital Pacific Alliance Medical Center Kaiser Mental Health Center Barlow Respiratory Hospital Glendale Adventist Medical Center Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center Good Samaritan Hospital Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Baldwin Park St Vincent Medical Center California Hospital Medical Center Temple Community Hospital City of Hope National Medical Center Community Hospital of Huntington Park Verdugo Hills Hospital Shriners Hospitals for Children Los Angeles Vista Specialty Hospital of San Gabriel Valley Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Orthopaedic Medical Center Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital Doctor's Hospital West Covina Citrus Valley Medical Center Queen of the Valley Campus Downey Regional Medical Center Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center Hollywood Community Hospital Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Kindred Hospital San Gabriel Valley St Francis Medical Center Whittier Hospital Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System Metropolitan State Hospital Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Norwalk Community Hospital Citrus Valley Medical Center Inter Community Campus Martin Luther King Jr MAC Service Center Olympia Medical Center Miracle Mile Medical Center Kindred Hospital La Mirada Cedars-Sinai Medical Center College Hospital Cerritos Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Suburban Medical Center Campus Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center Foothill Presbyterian Hospital Aurora Charter Oak Hospital Bellflower Medical Center East Valley Hospital Medical Center Kindred Hospital Los Angeles Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center Centinela Campus Brotman Medical Center Lakewood Regional Medical Center San Dimas Community Hospital Memorial Hospital of Gardena Vista Hospital of South Bay Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Achalasia by Our Doctors
-
Related Diseases & Conditions
6 articles-
Esophageal Cancer
- Esophageal cancer is a disease in which malignant cells form in the esophagus. Risk factors of cancer of the esophagus include smoking, heavy alcohol use, Barrett's esophagus, being male and being over age 60. Severe weight loss, vomiting, hoarseness, coughing up blood, painful swallowing, and pain in the throat or back are symptoms. Treatment depends upon the size, location and staging of the cancer and the health of the patient.
-
Vitiligo
- Vitiligo is a condition in which the skin turns white due to the loss of pigment from the melanocytes, cells that produce the pigment melanin that gives the skin color.
-
Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Eosinophilic esophagitis is an inflammation of the esophagus. Eosinophilic esophagitis has many causes including acid reflux, heartburn, viruses, medications that become stuck in the esophagus, allergy, asthma, hay fever, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Eosinophilic esophagitis symptoms include difficulty swallowing food, abdominal pain, chest pain, and heartburn.
-
Dysphagia
- Dysphagia or difficulty in swallowing, swallowing problems. Dysphagia is due to problems in nerve or muscle control. It is common, for example, after a stroke. Dysphagia compromises nutrition and hydration and may lead to aspiration pneumonia and dehydration.
-
Esophagitis
- Esophagitis is caused by an infection or irritation of the esophagus. Infections that cause esophagitis include candida yeast infection of the esophagus as well as herpes.
-
The Digestive System
- Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
-
Esophageal Cancer
-
Medications
5 articles -
Procedures & Tests
4 articles -
Pictures, Images & Quizzes
1 articles -
Doctor's & Expert's Views
1 articles -
Health News
0 articles -
Health Features
0 articles
