Achalasia Center - Olney, MD
Olney 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 Olney * Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Montgomery Internal Medicine Associates PA  Marc Kozam MD  Arthur Schoengold MD  Montgomery Gastroenterology  Montgomery Gastroenterology  Montgomery Gastroenterology  MONTROSE PEDIATRIC GI  Digestive Disease Clinic  Sanford Richman MD  Boo K Kim MD  T Ann Tonnu MD  Rockville Internal Medical Group  S Grace Woo MD LLC  Jatinder Sekhon MD  Steven A Burger MD  Neil L Julie MD  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Drs Stern & Gantt  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  Digestive Disease Consultants PA  Drs Stern & Gantt  Capital Gastroenterology Consultants PA  V P Chandar MD PA  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Birns Gloger & Witten MD PC  Gary M Roggin MD  Ghanshyam Gupta MD  Ajay Bakshi MD  T Jake Liang MD  Digestive Disease Branch  Bernard A Heckman MD  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Metropolitan Gastroenterology Group  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Kempanna Sudhakar MD  Washington Gastroenterology  Robynne K Chutkan MD  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Washington Gastroenterology  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Megan Willard MD  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Maryland Digestive Disease Center  Wondwosen Abdi MD  Vincent Sutliff MD  Cohen & Epstein MDs  Cohen & Epstein MDs  Gastro Center of Maryland  Ghulam Mohiuddin MD  Ghulam Mohiuddin MD  A O Moshyedi MD  A O Moshyedi MD  Mushtaq A Shah MD  Maximo Singer MD  Asghar Shaigany MD  James S Chesley Jr. MD  Khurram Hanif MD  Digestive Disease Associates  Mukul Khandelwal MD  Mukul Khandelwal MD  Woodholme Gastroenterology Associates PA  Northwest Gastroenterology Associates  Elizabeth R Myles MD  John Bedeau MD & David Gorray MD  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Largo  Woodholme Gastroenterology Associates PA  Digestive Disease Associates Olney, MarylandUpcoming Local Events2012-06-09
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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 Olney
Nearby Olney Hospitals *Montgomery General Hospital Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Adventist HealthCare Holy Cross Hospital Suburban Hospital National Institutes of Health Howard County General Hospital Laurel Regional Hospital Washington Adventist Hospital Walter Reed Army Medical Center Psychiatric Institute of Washington Providence Hospital Sibley Memorial Hospital The HSC Pediatric Center National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington Hospital Center Washington DC VA Medical Center Children's National Medical Center Doctors Community Hospital Howard University Hospital Georgetown University Hospital Sheppard Pratt at Ellicott City Gladys Spellman Specialty Hospital Prince George's Hospital Center The George Washington University Hospital Springfield Hospital Center The Specialty Hospital of Washington Virginia Hospital Center Dominion Hospital Spring Grove Hospital Center United Medical Center Reston Hospital Center Northwest Hospital Saint Elizabeth's Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute Kernan Hospital Inova Loudoun Hospital Center Inova Alexandria Hospital The Specialty Hospital of Washington-Hadley Saint Agnes Hospital Baltimore Washington Medical Center Bon Secours Baltimore Health System Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Harbor Hospital Center Baltimore VA Medical Center North Spring Behavioral Healthcare University of Maryland Medical Center Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center & Hospital Sinai Hospital of Baltimore University Specialty Hospital Maryland General Hospital Mercy Medical Center Frederick Memorial Hospital Mt Washington Pediatric Hospital Union Memorial Hospital Kennedy Krieger Institute Johns Hopkins Hospital Graydon Manor Behavioral Health Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Carroll Hospital Center Sheppard Pratt Health System Greater Baltimore Medical Center Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center St Joseph Medical Center Fort Washington Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland Southern Maryland Hospital Center Anne Arundel Medical Center Franklin Square Hospital Center Prince William 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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Esophageal Cancer
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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
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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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