Achalasia Center - Orland Park, IL
Orland Park 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 Orland Park * Midwest Physician Centers of Orland Park  Midwest Physician Centers of Orland Park  Midwest Physician Centers of Orland Park  Hedges Clinic  Midwest Center for Digestive Health  Southwest Gastroenterology  Southwest Gastroenterology  Midwest Center for Digestive Health  Southwest Gastroenterology  Midwest Center for Digestive Health  Southwest Gastroenterology  Midwest Center for Digestive Health  Midwest Center for Digestive Health  Southwest Gastroenterology  GI Associates  GI Associates  GI Associates  GI Associates  MidWest Digestive Disease Specialists  MidWest Digestive Disease Specialists  MidWest Digestive Disease Specialists  MidWest Digestive Disease Specialists  MidWest Digestive Disease Specialists  Deepak Bakane MD  Southwest Medical Consultants  Southwest Medical Consultants  Advocate Health Care Hazel Crest  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Ingalls Family Care Center  Midwest GI Associates  Midwest GI Associates  Midwest GI Associates  Rafiq Ahmed MD  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  Advocate Medical Group  Advocate Health Center Beverly  Gastroenterology Services Ltd  Gastroenterology Services Ltd  Gastroenterology Services Ltd  Gastroenterology Group  Gastroenterology Group  BHS Digestive Disease  BHS Digestive Disease  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Well Group Health Partners  Well Group Health Partners  Victorino Yu MD  Drs Bernthal, Klygis, Lohmann & Andersen MD  Drs Bernthal, Klygis, Lohmann & Andersen MD  Allen J Rosenbaum MD  Manuel Alva MD  Naperville Gastroenterology  Sakhawat Hussain MD  Loyola University Medical Center  Loyola University Medical Center  Loyola University Medical Center  Loyola University Medical Center  Loyola University Medical Center  Digestive Health Services SC  Digestive Health Services SC  Digestive Health Services SC  Gerard A Sublette MD & Christopher Boutin MD  Elmhurst Clinic Gastroenterology  Gerard A Sublette MD & Christopher Boutin MD  Adolfo Maglaya MD  Sinha Chunduri MD  Manuel C Iglesias MD  Mohamad Z Sait MD Ltd  Lake Shore Gastroenterology  Lake Shore Gastroenterology  Dyer GI Clinics of Illinois  Suresh Bhalla MD  David N Butler MD & Nadira Ali Kahn MD SC  Claude Mandel Medical Center  Elmhurst Clinic Gastroenterology  Elmhurst Clinic Gastroenterology  The Center for Endoscopic Research and Thera  University of Chicago Hospital Gastroenterology  University of Chicago Hospital Gastroenterology  University of Chicago Hospital Gastroenterology  University Of Chicago Hepatology  University of Chicago Hospital Gastroenterology  University Of Chicago Hepatology  University Of Chicago Hepatology  University of Chicago Hepatology  Dr BH Gerald Rogers  University of Chicago Hospital Gastroenterology  University of Chicago Hospital Gastroenterology  University Of Chicago Hepatology  The Center for Endoscopic Research and Thera  University of Chicago Hospital Gastroenterology  UIC Medical Center Digestive Disease  UIC Medical Center Digestive Disease  UIC Medical Center Digestive Disease  UIC Medical Center Digestive Disease Orland Park, IllinoisUpcoming 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 Orland Park
Nearby Orland Park Hospitals *Palos Community Hospital Tinley Park Mental Health Center Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County Advocate Christ Medical Center & Hope Children's Hospital Advocate South Suburban Hospital MetroSouth Medical Center St James Hospital & Health Center Olympia Fields Ingalls Memorial Hospital Little Company of Mary Hospital & Health Care Centers Silver Cross Hospital Adventist LaGrange Memorial Hospital Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital Roseland Community Hospital Adventist Hinsdale Hospital Holy Cross Hospital RML Specialty Hospital St James Hospital & Health Centers Chicago Heights MacNeal Hospital Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center St Bernard Hospital & Health Care Center Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Advocate Trinity Hospital Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital John J Madden Mental Health Center Jackson Park Hospital & Medical Center Loyola University Medical Center Riveredge Hospital Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers North Campus Select Specialty Hospital Northwest Indiana Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital South Shore Hospital University of Chicago Hospital Bernard Mitchell University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital Hartgrove Hospital La Rabida Children's Hospital Provident Hospital of Cook County Edward Hospital Loretto Hospital RUSH Oak Park Hospital Saint Anthony Hospital The Community Hospital Franciscan Physicians Hospital Linden Oaks Hospital at Edward Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center Resurrection Health Care Westlake Hospital Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers South Campus Advocate Bethany Hospital Resurrection Health Care West Suburban Medical Center Jesse Brown VA Medical Center Mercy Hospital & Medical Center University of Illinois Medical Center John H Stroger Jr Hospital of Cook County Johnston R Bowman Health Center Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Gottlieb Memorial Hospital Kindred Hospital Northlake Rush University Medical Center Sacred Heart Hospital Regency Hospital of Northwest Indiana St Catherine Hospital Norwegian-American Hospital Shriners Hospital for Children Chicago Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital Resurrection Health Care Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center Resurrection Health Care Saint Elizabeth Hospital Northwestern Memorial Hospital Prentice Women's Hospital Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Rush-Copley Medical Center Adventist GlenOaks Hospital Resurrection Health Care Our Lady of Resurrection Medical Center Central DuPage Hospital Kindred Hospital Chicago Central Chicago-Read Mental Health Center Children's Memorial 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
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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
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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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