Achalasia Center - Norwalk, CT
Norwalk 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 Norwalk * Norwalk Medical Group PC  Norwalk Medical Group PC  William B Hale MD  Dennis Meighan DO  Gastroenterology & Internal Medicine Westport  Shoreline Medical LLP  Soundview Medical Associates  Soundview Medical Associates  Soundview Medical Associates  Arbor Medical Group LLC  Gastroenterology & Hepatology Associates  Gastroenterology & Hepatology Associates  Gastroenterology & Hepatology Associates  Gastroenterology & Hepatology Associates  Gastroenterology & Hepatology Associates  William M Pintauro MD  Gastroenterology Associates PC  Gastroenterology Associates PC  Gastroenterology Associates PC  Gastroenterology Associates PC  Sanford H Benjamin MD  Medical Associates of Stamford PC  Digestive Disease Center  Ronald J Cirillo MD  Peter W Gardner & Stuart Waldstreicher MDs  Peter W Gardner & Stuart Waldstreicher MDs  Fiedler & Kapel MDs  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Fairfield County Internal Medicine & GI Associates  Fairfield County Internal Medicine & GI Associates  Fairfield County Internal Medicine & GI Associates  Bridgeport Internal Medicine  Bridgeport Internal Medicine  Bridgeport Internal Medicine  Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield County  Alan E Selkin MD  Tarun K Gupta MD LLC  GI Health Specialists  GI Health Specialists  GI Health Specialists  GI Health Specialists  GI Health Specialists  GI Health Specialists  Danbury Hospital Gastroenterology  Danbury Hospital Gastroenterology  Danbury Hospital Gastroenterology  Danbury Hospital Gastroenterology  Gerald O Franklin MD  Danbury Hospital Gastroenterology  Danbury Hospital Gastroenterology  Danbury Hospital Gastroenterology  Fairfield & Westchester Gastroenterology Medicine Ctr  Fairfield & Westchester Gastroenterology Medicine Ctr  Stephen W Kingsley MD  Fairfield & Westchester Gastroenterology Medicine Ctr  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Fiedler & Kapel MDs  David M Chess MD  Gastroenterology Specialists PC  Gastroenterology Specialists PC  Gastroenterology Specialists PC  Gastroenterology Specialists PC  Naugatuck Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Southbury Medical Associates  New Milford Internal Medicine Associates  New Milford Internal Medicine Associates  Gastroenterology & Internal Medicine of Orange  Gastroenterology Center of New England  Beacon Falls Medical Associates  Beacon Falls Medical Associates  Gerald Fette MD  Gastroenterology of New Haven LLC  Gastroenterology of New Haven LLC  Yale Medical Group Digestive Diseases  Yale Medical Group Digestive Diseases  Yale Medical Group Digestive Diseases  Yale Medical Group Digestive Diseases  Yale Medical Group Digestive Diseases  Yale Medical Group Digestive Diseases  Melchinger Street Rosenthal & Breier MD  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Connecticut Gastroenterology Consultants PC  Yale Medical Group Digestive Diseases Norwalk, ConnecticutUpcoming Local Events2012-06-03
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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 Norwalk
Nearby Norwalk Hospitals *Norwalk Hospital Silver Hill Hospital Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health Services Stamford Hospital St Vincent's Medical Center Four Winds Hospital Greenwich Hospital Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center Bridgeport Hospital Northern Westchester Hospital Center Danbury Hospital Northport VA Medical Center Rye Hospital Center Huntington Hospital St Vincent's Hospital Westchester Milford Hospital New York Presbyterian Westchester White Plains Hospital Center The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital Blythedale Children's Hospital Maria Fareri Children's Hospital Westchester Medical Center Putnam Hospital Center Griffin Hospital Glen Cove Hospital Stony Lodge Hospital Stony Brook University Medical Center Phelps Memorial Hospital Center St Charles Hospital St Catherine of Siena Medical Center Syosset Hospital John T Mather Memorial Hospital Dobbs Ferry Pavillion @ St Johns Riverside Hospital Pilgrim Psychiatric Center Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester Sagamore Children's Psychiatric Center Lawrence Hospital Center VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus Plainview Hospital Hudson Valley Hospital Center Nyack Hospital FDR Campus of the VA Hudson Valley Healthcare System Montrose Hospital of St Raphael St Francis Hospital The Heart Center Mount Vernon Hospital Connecticut Mental Health Center Yale-New Haven Hospital Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital North Division of Montefiore Medical Center Saint Joseph's Medical Center St John's Riverside Hospital Rockland Psychiatric Center Helen Hayes Hospital New Island Hospital North Shore University Hospital at Manhasset New Milford Hospital Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center Jacobi Medical Center Nassau University Medical Center Jack D Weiler Hospital Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center Bronx Psychiatric Center Calvary Hospital Montefiore Medical Center North Central Bronx Hospital Winthrop University Hospital New York Westchester Square Medical Center Southside Hospital Long Island Jewish Medical Center Schneider Children's Hospital The Zucker Hillside Hospital James J Peters VA Medical Center St Barnabas Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center South Oaks 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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