Achalasia Center - Arcadia, CA
Arcadia 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 Arcadia * Hanson T Lee Inc  Jay Noble MD  Chester D Zahn MD  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Edward Laurance MD  Tu Tran MD  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  Robert J Mehler MD  Rangarao Panguluri MD  Thomas S Lam 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  Gastroenterology Associates  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Mark Li MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Mumtaz Akram MD  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Abdul Alaama MD  Lisandro Quinones MD  Shahnawaz Jaffer MD  Magan Medical Clinic  Manmohan Kumar MD  George Ferenczi MD  Robert A Mecum MD  Kenny Su MD  Richard L Parks MD & Barton Ueki MD  Shang Cheng Wu MD  Ching-Hsiu Chen MD  Ching-Hsiu Chen MD  USC Internal Medicine  Conrad A Cox MD  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  Elming Djans MD  Michael Klein MD  W David Mello MD  Neal M Shindel MD  Glendale Gastroenterology Medical Group  Glendale Gastroenterology Medical Group  White Memorial Medical Group  Ethelred Carter MD  Ioana A Bina MD Inc  Artoon Arakel MD  David Shih MD  Vincente Villa Jr. MD  William Loebman MD  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Gastro Digestive Medical Group  Frischer Medical Group  Steven J Weiss MD  Jun-Ichi Ohara MD  Matsumoto Internal Medicine  Digestive Disease Center  Gastroenterology Consultants  William P Stuppy MD  Drs Sial & Cohen  West Gastroenterology Associates  Drs Sial & Cohen  West Gastroenterology Associates  Anastacio Pinzon MD  Ho S Bae MD  Laser Endoscopy Medical Group  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  Gastroenterology Associates  Multi Health Care Medical Group  Mingquan Bussarakum MD  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  The Internal Medical Group  St Jude Heritage Medical Group Bastanchury  Jin H Suh MD  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest Arcadia, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-05-20
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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.
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Nearby Arcadia Hospitals *Methodist Hospital Aurora Las Encinas Hospital City of Hope National Medical Center San Gabriel Valley Medical Center BHC Alhambra Hospital Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Baldwin Park City of Angels Medical Center Ingleside Campus Greater El Monte Community Hospital Vista Specialty Hospital of San Gabriel Valley Huntington Hospital Garfield Medical Center Alhambra Hospital Medical Center Doctor's Hospital West Covina Citrus Valley Medical Center Queen of the Valley Campus Kindred Hospital San Gabriel Valley Monterey Park Hospital Citrus Valley Medical Center Inter Community Campus Beverly Hospital Foothill Presbyterian Hospital East Valley Hospital Medical Center Aurora Charter Oak Hospital USC University Hospital USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Glendale Adventist Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center Women's & Children's Hospital Verdugo Hills Hospital East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles Community Hospital Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital White Memorial Medical Center Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles San Dimas Community Hospital Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center Pacific Alliance Medical Center Barlow Respiratory Hospital Kaiser Mental Health Center Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center Whittier Hospital Medical Center Good Samaritan Hospital St Vincent Medical Center California Hospital Medical Center Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Temple Community Hospital Community Hospital of Huntington Park Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Metropolitan State Hospital Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Downey Regional Medical Center Shriners Hospitals for Children Los Angeles Kindred Hospital La Mirada Orthopaedic Medical Center Norwalk Community Hospital Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Kindred Hospital Brea Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Hollywood Community Hospital Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center St Francis Medical Center College Hospital Cerritos VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System St Jude Medical Center Martin Luther King Jr MAC Service Center Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Suburban Medical Center Campus Bellflower Medical Center Olympia Medical Center Miracle Mile Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center La Palma Intercommunity Hospital Montclair Hospital Medical Center Lakewood Regional Medical Center 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
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Dysphagia
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