Achalasia Center - Redwood City, CA
Redwood City 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 Redwood City * Betty M Ho MD  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  Scott D Levenson MD  Scott D Levenson MD  Menlo Medical Clinic  Menlo Medical Clinic  Susie M Liu MD  Harvey S Young MD  David S Shields MD  Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Gastroenterology Department  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Medical Specialties Clinic  San Mateo County General Hospital  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  Edward K Onuma & Eugene Y Lee MDs  Edward K Onuma & Eugene Y Lee MDs  Michael Mainardi M.D. Inc.  Ernest Ribera MD  Marna M Skaar MD  Robert F Bronstone MD  El Camino GI Medical  El Camino GI Medical  Andrew Lipton 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  Gastroenterology Consultants of The Peninsula  Robert H Kubin MD  Kenneth T Roost MD  Gastroenterology Consultants of The Peninsula  Mission Primary Care  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Miles F Adler MD  Vinod Sawhney MD  Shakir Hyder MD  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Washington Township Medical Group  Kenneth A Kelsen MD  Fremont Medical Group  Lawrence B Lusk MD  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Dennis L Hamby MD  Alameda County Medical Center  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Alameda County Medical Center Highland Hospital Campus  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Digestive Disease Medical Group  SFGH Medicine & Gastroenterology Clinic  Robert J Elsen MD  Farr & Farr MD  Alfred L Hurwitz MD  Jagjit S Raju MD  David W Chui MD  San Jose Gastroenterology  Felix K Tam MD  San Jose Gastroenterology  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center  Barbara Hom MD  San Francisco Digestive Disease Inc  San Francisco Digestive Disease Inc  San Francisco Digestive Disease Inc  Frank S Yang MD  Marwan A Balaa MD  Ayer & Davilla MDs  Malin Aubry Gores Wang Haddad & Sankaran  Terry C Lin DO  Dennis Shen MD  Patrick Y Wong MD  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology Redwood City, 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 Redwood City
Nearby Redwood City Hospitals *Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center Sequoia Hospital Menlo Park Surgical Hospital Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford Hospital & Clinics San Mateo Medical Center VA Palo Alto Health Care System Mills Hospital Mills-Peninsula Health Services El Camino Hospital Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center St Rose Hospital Fremont Hospital Washington Hospital Seton Medical Center Coastside Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center Alameda County Medical Center Fairmont Campus Eden Medical Center Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center San Leandro Hospital John George Psychiatric Pavilion Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area Seton Medical Center Alameda Hospital O'Connor Hospital Santa Clara Valley Medical Center El Camino Hospital of Los Gatos St Luke's Hospital San Francisco General Hospital Alameda County Medical Center Highland Campus Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose Regional Medical Center of San Jose Good Samaritan Hospital Mission Oaks California Pacific Medical Center Davies Campus UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Summit Campus Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Oakland Saint Francis Memorial Hospital St Mary's Medical Center ValleyCare Health System Pleasanton Chinese Hospital Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion California Pacific Medical Center Pacific Campus California Pacific Medical Center California Campus California Pacific Medical Center East Campus Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland San Ramon Regional Medical Center San Francisco VA Medical Center Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Alta Bates Campus Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Herrick Campus Livermore Division of the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System Valley Memorial Hospital Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center John Muir Medical Center Walnut Creek Campus Doctor's Medical Center San Pablo 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. |
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Vitiligo
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Eosinophilic Esophagitis
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Dysphagia
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Esophagitis
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The Digestive System
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