Achalasia Center - Laguna Niguel, CA
Laguna Niguel 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 Laguna Niguel * Saddleback Medical Group  Saddleback Medical Group  Saddleback Medical Group  Saddleback Medical Group  Pacific Gastroenterology  Shahram Javaheri MD  South Orange County Gastroenterology  J Frank Arguello MD  Mission Internal Medical Group  Ali A Oliai MD  Poneh Rahimi MD  Gastrointestinal Healthcare of Orange County  Orange County Gastroenterology  Orange County Gastroenterology  Mission Internal Medical Group  Mission Internal Medical Group  Mission Internal Medical Group  Mission Internal Medical Group  Rose T Codini MD  Gail Schoenau MD  Lino DeGuzman MD  Nav Gujral MD  Fang F Yu MD PhD  Ardalan Babaknia MD  Jun-Ichi Ohara MD  Herbert H Lee MD  Peter H Broekelschen MD  Surinder Saini MD  Norman Bain MD  George O DeTarnowsky Jr. MD Inc  Manuchehr Darani MD  Madhukar Jigjinni MD  Glenn Madokoro MD  Phuong T Nguyen MD  Gastroenterology Alliance of Newport  Gastroenterology Alliance of Newport  Carlos Saad MD  Parminder S Dhaliwal MD  Tejinder M Kalra MD  Yong Chung MD  Abhay Parikh MD  Donald R Abraham MD  Newport Medical Huntington Group  Perry B Sheidayi MD PC  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Gastroenterology Consultants  La Veta Gastoenterology  La Veta Gastoenterology  David B Stanton MD & Associates  La Veta Gastoenterology  La Veta Gastoenterology  David B Stanton MD & Associates  Jeffrey M Shapiro MD  La Veta Gastoenterology  David B Stanton MD & Associates  Harold Maizel MD  Clement Chu MD  Roque Hung & Yu Digestive Diseases  Andrew C Ko MD  Leduc Medical Group  Roque Hung & Yu Digestive Diseases  Harvey S Sahni MD  Fountain Valley Cardiology  David M Truong MD  Roque Hung & Yu Digestive Diseases  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  Talbert Medical Group  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  Talbert Medical Group  UCI Medical Group Gastroenterology  UCI Irvine Medical Center Gastroenterology  Quang Phan MD  Kenneth Yamashiro MD  Jay P Diliberto MD  Sirus Farivar MD  Ronald J Policastro MD  Healthcare System 2000  Molinari Politoske & Roy MDs  Molinari Politoske & Roy MDs  Molinari Politoske & Roy MDs  Syam P Gaddam MD  Christopher D Bui MD  Hoa Nguyen MD Inc  St Jude Heritage Medical Group Yorba Linda  The Internal Medical Group  The Internal Medical Group  The Internal Medical Group  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Ravindra Alapati MD  Ashok Amin MD  Ambika Bali MD  Richard Yip MD  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest Laguna Niguel, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-05-19
2012-06-09
2012-06-10
2012-06-10
2012-06-30
2012-07-04
2012-07-28
2012-08-04
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 Laguna Niguel
Nearby Laguna Niguel Hospitals *Children's Hospital of Orange County at Mission Mission Hospital Saddleback Memorial Medical Center Laguna Hills Mission Hospital Laguna Beach Saddleback Memorial Medical Center San Clemente Kaiser Permanente Orange County Irvine Medical Center College Hospital Costa Mesa Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Tustin Hospital & Medical Center Coastal Communities Hospital HEALTHSOUTH Tustin Rehabilitation Hospital Western Medical Center Santa Ana Fountain Valley Regional Hospital & Medical Center Chapman Medical Center HealthBridge Children's Rehabilitation Hospital Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center Kindred Hospital Santa Ana Children's Hospital Orange County St Joseph Hospital Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center Huntington Beach Hospital University Of California Irvine Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center Western Medical Center Anaheim Kindred Hospital Westminster Corona Regional Medical Center Rehabilitation Corona Regional Medical Center Anaheim Regional Medical Center Placentia-Linda Hospital West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim General Hospital St Jude Medical Center Los Alamitos Medical Center Inland Valley Medical Center La Palma Intercommunity Hospital Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center Kindred Hospital Brea VA Long Beach Healthcare System Tri-City Regional Medical Center Fallbrook Hospital Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center Community Hospital of Long Beach Rancho Springs Medical Center Kindred Hospital La Mirada St Mary Medical Center Norwalk Community Hospital College Hospital Cerritos Whittier Hospital Medical Center Chino Valley Medical Center Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Miller Children's Hospital Metropolitan State Hospital Bellflower Medical Center Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Lakewood Regional Medical Center Menifee Valley Medical Center Vista Hospital of Riverside Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Suburban Medical Center Campus Riverside Community Hospital Kaiser Permanente Downey 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
-
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
