Achalasia Center - Boston, MA
Boston 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 Boston * Human Nutrition Research Center  Rong J Guan MD  Tufts New England Medical Center Dept Gastroenterology  Tufts Medical Center  New England Medical Center Adult Nutritional Support Services  Tufts Medical Center  Tufts Medical Center  New England Medical Center Adult Nutritional Support Services  Tufts Medical Center  Pediatric GI & Nutritional Associates at MGH  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  Massachusetts General Hospital Gastroenterology  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  MGH Gastroenterology Associates  Ira Michaelson MD  Boston University Medical Group  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Boston University Medical Group  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Surgery  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  Cambridge Hospital Medical Specialists  Harvard Vanguard Medical Specialties Cambridge  Harvard Vanguard Medical Specialties Cambridge  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Gastroenterology  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center  Ram Chuttani MD  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Harvey Goldman MD  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Ciaran P Kelly MD  John T. Lamont, MD  Anthony J Lembo MD  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr Digestive Disease Ctr  Beth Israel Deaconess  Pastor Medical Group  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Beth Israel Deaconess  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Gastroenterology  Beth Israel Deaconess  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Gastroenterology  Helen M Shields MD  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Gastroenterologic Oncology  Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Gastroenterologic Oncology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates Boston, MassachusettsWith many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education and a center for medicine. The city's economy is also based on research, electronics, engineering, finance, and high technology - principally biotechnology. Boston ranks first in the country in jobs per square mile ahead of New York City and Washington, D.C. The city has been experiencing gentrification and has one of the highest costs of living in the United States, and it remains high on world livability rankings. Upcoming Local Events2012-05-19
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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 Boston
Nearby Boston Hospitals *Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston Burn Hospital Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Massachusetts General Hospital Tufts New England Medical Center Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital M I T Medical Boston Medical Center Cambridge Hospital Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Children's Hospital Boston Brigham & Women's Hospital Dana Farber Cancer Institute New England Baptist Hospital Arbour HRI Hospital Lawrence F Quigley Memorial Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston Somerville Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Whidden Memorial Hospital Arbour Hospital Mount Auburn Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston Franciscan Hospital for Children Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Massachusetts Mental Health Center Faulkner Hospital Lawrence Memorial Hospital Caritas Carney Hospital Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Bournewood Hospital Melrose Wakefield Hospital McLean Hospital Milton Hospital Quincy Medical Center Winchester Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus HEALTHSOUTH New England Rehabilitation Hospital Newton Wellesley Hospital North Shore Medical Center Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital Lahey Clinic Medical Center Massachusetts Hospital School Salem Hospital & the Birthplace North Shore Children's Hospital Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree Westwood Lodge Hospital South Shore Hospital Caritas Norwood Hospital Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital Emerson Hospital Beverly Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital Tewksbury Hospital Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton Isham Health Center Pembroke Hospital Saints Medical Center Baldpate Hospital Lowell General Hospital HC Solomon Mental Health Center Lawrence General Hospital UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital Caritas Holy Family Hospital and Medical Center Addison Gilbert 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. |
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