Achalasia Center - Pleasanton, CA
Pleasanton 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 Pleasanton * Camacho & Musni MDs  Phillip A Wolfe & Eric Rowen MDs  Phillip A Wolfe & Eric Rowen MDs  Tri Valley Gastroenterology  Tri Valley Gastroenterology  Kenneth A Kelsen MD  Fremont Medical Group  Steven A Friedman MD  Anderson Rowe MD  Washington Township Medical Group  Valley Digestive Care Medical Associates  Mission Primary Care  Shakir Hyder MD  David H Lin MD  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Miles F Adler MD  Vinod Sawhney MD  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  Rasik Kansara MD  Felix K Tam MD  Sally Nacianceno & Rose Palma MDs  Sudin Vittal MD  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  S Saeed Zamani MD  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Henry Kung MD  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Gerald Tarder MD  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  S Saeed Zamani MD  Bay Area Colon & Rectal Surgeons  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Ramakrishna Gollapudi MD  David W Chui MD  Farr & Farr MD  Alfred L Hurwitz MD  Jagjit S Raju MD  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Andrew Lipton MD  Robert F Bronstone MD  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  El Camino GI Medical  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  El Camino GI Medical  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Eugene J Burbige MD  Gastroenterology Medical Group  David N Varon MD  Medical Specialties Clinic  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  David S Shields MD  Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Gastroenterology Department  Susie M Liu MD  Harvey S Young MD  Menlo Medical Clinic  Menlo Medical Clinic  Alameda County Medical Center  Alameda County Medical Center Highland Hospital Campus  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Betty M Ho MD  Barbara Hom MD  Scott D Levenson MD  Scott D Levenson MD  Marwan A Balaa MD  Terry C Lin DO  Ayer & Davilla MDs  Michael C Kushlan MD  San Jose Medical Group  San Jose Medical Group  David E Stein MD FACG  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology Pleasanton, 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 Pleasanton
Nearby Pleasanton Hospitals *ValleyCare Health System Pleasanton Valley Memorial Hospital Livermore Division of the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System Washington Hospital Fremont Hospital San Ramon Regional Medical Center St Rose Hospital Eden Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center Alameda County Medical Center Fairmont Campus John George Psychiatric Pavilion Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area San Leandro Hospital Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center John Muir Medical Center Walnut Creek Campus Regional Medical Center of San Jose Menlo Park Surgical Hospital Alameda County Medical Center Highland Campus Alameda Hospital Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford Hospital & Clinics El Camino Hospital Sutter Delta Medical Center VA Palo Alto Health Care System O'Connor Hospital Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Oakland Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Summit Campus Sequoia Hospital Santa Clara Valley Medical Center John Muir Medical Center Concord Campus John Muir Behavioral Health Center San Mateo Medical Center Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Alta Bates Campus Sutter Tracy Community Hospital Mills Hospital Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Herrick Campus VA Northern CA Healthcare System at Martinez Contra Costa Regional Medical Center El Camino Hospital of Los Gatos Mills-Peninsula Health Services Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose Good Samaritan Hospital Mission Oaks Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center San Francisco General Hospital St Luke's Hospital Chinese Hospital Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center Saint Francis Memorial Hospital California Pacific Medical Center Davies Campus California Pacific Medical Center Pacific Campus UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Doctor's Medical Center San Pablo St Mary's Medical Center UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus Seton Medical Center California Pacific Medical Center East Campus California Pacific Medical Center California Campus 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
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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
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Esophageal Cancer
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