Achalasia Center - Covina, CA
Covina 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 Covina * Shahnawaz Jaffer MD  Magan Medical Clinic  George Ferenczi MD  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Mumtaz Akram MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Mark Li MD  Rangarao Panguluri MD  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  Ching-Hsiu Chen MD  Ching-Hsiu Chen MD  Manmohan Kumar MD  Kenny Su MD  Shang Cheng Wu MD  Jason H Shin MD  Krishan K Malhotra MD  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  Hanson T Lee Inc  Jay Noble MD  Chester D Zahn MD  Neal M Shindel MD  Tu Tran MD  Abdul Alaama MD  Edward Laurance MD  The Internal Medical Group  Richard L Parks MD & Barton Ueki MD  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Group Bastanchury  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  The Internal Medical Group  Robert A Mecum MD  The Internal Medical Group  St Jude Heritage Medical Group Yorba Linda  Umesh Shah MD  Robert J Mehler MD  Gastroenterology Associates  Lisandro Quinones MD  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Kevin Jenkins DO  Thomas S Lam MD  Dennis Chan MD  Kwok-Leung Chung MD  Firmin Ho MD  Chun Yen Hsu MD  Chia-Chi G Lai MD  Shih Lin Lue MD  Barry Morguelan MD  Ravindra Alapati MD  Ashok Amin MD  Ambika Bali MD  Syam P Gaddam MD  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Dwaraknath Reddy, MD  Conrad A Cox MD  Chuang T Hung MD  John J Kim MD  Sudhir K Reddy 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  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Digestive Disease Center  Gastroenterology Consultants  Behrooz Ahmadi MD  Norman Kuo MD  Kenneth Yamashiro MD  Richard Yip MD  Gastro Digestive Medical Group  Frischer Medical Group  Steven J Weiss MD  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Irvine Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Irvine Medical Center Gastroenterology  Roque Hung & Yu Digestive Diseases Covina, 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.
Other Related Achalasia ArticlesEmergency Contact for Covina
Nearby Covina Hospitals *Citrus Valley Medical Center Inter Community Campus Aurora Charter Oak Hospital Kindred Hospital San Gabriel Valley East Valley Hospital Medical Center San Dimas Community Hospital Foothill Presbyterian Hospital Doctor's Hospital West Covina Citrus Valley Medical Center Queen of the Valley Campus Vista Specialty Hospital of San Gabriel Valley City of Hope National Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Baldwin Park Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation Greater El Monte Community Hospital Methodist Hospital BHC Alhambra Hospital Kindred Hospital Brea Montclair Hospital Medical Center Whittier Hospital Medical Center Aurora Las Encinas Hospital Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital Chino Valley Medical Center San Gabriel Valley Medical Center City of Angels Medical Center Ingleside Campus Beverly Hospital Garfield Medical Center St Jude Medical Center Kindred Hospital La Mirada Kindred Hospital Ontario Placentia-Linda Hospital San Antonio Community Hospital Monterey Park Hospital Alhambra Hospital Medical Center Metropolitan State Hospital Huntington Hospital Norwalk Community Hospital Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim Regional Medical Center Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Downey Regional Medical Center East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles Community Hospital USC University Hospital Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center LAC + USC Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center Women's & Children's Hospital Rancho Specialty Hospital Western Medical Center Anaheim College Hospital Cerritos La Palma Intercommunity Hospital Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center White Memorial Medical Center West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim General Hospital Glendale Adventist Medical Center Pacific Alliance Medical Center Bellflower Medical Center Kaiser Mental Health Center Community Hospital of Huntington Park Verdugo Hills Hospital Barlow Respiratory Hospital University Of California Irvine Medical Center Tri-City Regional Medical Center Chapman Medical Center Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Suburban Medical Center Campus St Francis Medical Center St Joseph Hospital Children's Hospital Orange County HealthBridge Children's Rehabilitation Hospital Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center Good Samaritan Hospital 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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Vitiligo
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Dysphagia
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Esophagitis
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The Digestive System
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