Achalasia Center - Attleboro, MA
Attleboro 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 Attleboro * Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Van Ritter MD  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Robert F Kelliher MD  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Mohammad Farivar MD  Southwestern Gastroenterological Associates PC  Associates In Internal Medicine  Caritas Medical Practice Corp  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Truesdale Clinic Southcoast Physicians Services  Truesdale Clinic Southcoast Physicians Services  Sidney W Rosen MD  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Robert A Sepersky MD  Milford Gastroenterology Associates Inc  Milford Gastroenterology Associates Inc  Milford Gastroenterology Associates Inc  Milford Gastroenterology Associates Inc  Milford Gastroenterology Associates Inc  Lawrence Handler MD  Michael Pisick MD  VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury  Pham Medical Associates  Harbor Medical  George L Barrett MD  South Shore Internal Medicine  South Shore Internal Medicine  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates  Greater Boston Gastroenterology  Greater Boston Gastroenterology  Greater Boston Gastroenterology  Greater Boston Gastroenterology  Greater Boston Gastroenterology  Greater Boston Gastroenterology  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  Women's Health Associates  Women's Health Associates  Women's Health Associates  Gastroenterology Healthcare Associates PC  Gastroenterology Healthcare Associates PC  Newton Wellesley Hospital Gastroenterology  Carla H Ginsburg MD  Gastroenterology Healthcare Associates PC  R J Klingenstein MD  Alexander Kopp MD PC  Gastroenterology Healthcare Associates PC  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Granite Medical Group  Granite Medical Group  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Thomas J Kenney Jr. MD Inc  Thomas J Kenney Jr. MD Inc  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Harbor Medical & Associates  Harbor Medical & Associates  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates  Eric Cohen MD  VA Boston Healthcare System  VA Boston Healthcare System  Blackwell Medical Associates  Blackwell Medical Associates  Blackwell Medical Associates  Mount Auburn Healthcare at Waltham  Caritas Surgical Group  Manish Tandon MD PC  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates Attleboro, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-05-26
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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.
Other Related Achalasia ArticlesEmergency Contact for Attleboro
Nearby Attleboro Hospitals *Sturdy Memorial Hospital Arbour-Fuller Hospital Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island Butler Hospital The Miriam Hospital Taunton State Hospital Morton Hospital & Medical Center Our Lady of Fatima Hospital Providence VA Medical Center Roger Williams Medical Center Hasbro Children's Hospital Rhode Island Hospital Bradley Hospital Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island Landmark Medical Center Southern New England Rehabilitation Center St Joseph Health Services Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Eleanor Slater Hospital Pastore Center Caritas Norwood Hospital Charlton Memorial Hospital Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Massachusetts Hospital School Milford Regional Medical Center Saint Anne's Hospital Westwood Lodge Hospital Kent Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital New Bedford Rehabilitation Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham South Shore Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Milton Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Eleanor Slater Hospital Zambarano Unit Quincy Medical Center Bournewood Hospital Caritas Carney Hospital Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Faulkner Hospital Massachusetts Mental Health Center Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Newton Wellesley Hospital Arbour Hospital Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough Radius Specialty Hospital Boston VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus New England Baptist Hospital St Luke's Hospital Brigham & Women's Hospital Dana Farber Cancer Institute Pembroke Hospital Children's Hospital Boston Kindred Hospital Boston Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children Boston Medical Center Arbour HRI Hospital Westborough State Hospital Hubbard Regional Hospital Tufts New England Medical Center M I T Medical Mount Auburn Hospital Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Massachusetts General Hospital Newport Hospital Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital 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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Related Diseases & Conditions
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Esophageal Cancer
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