Achalasia Center - San Francisco, CA
San Francisco 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 San Francisco * Malin Aubry Gores Wang Haddad & Sankaran  Dennis Shen MD  Frank S Yang MD  Dennis L Hamby MD  San Francisco Digestive Disease Inc  San Francisco Digestive Disease Inc  San Francisco Digestive Disease Inc  Pacific Heights Medical Group  Pacific Internal Medicine Associates  Interventional Endoscopy Services  California Pacific Medical Center Gastroenterology  Pacific Internal Medicine Associates  California Pacific Medical Center Gastroenterology  Daniel Conlin MD  Pacific Internal Medicine Associates  Robert J Elsen MD  California Pacific Medical Center Department of Gastroenterology  California Pacific Medical Center Gastroenterology  Pacific Internal Medicine Associates  PACIFIC INTERNAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATES  Pacific Internal Medicine Associates  California Pacific Medical Center Gastroenterology  Interventional Endoscopy Services  California Pacific Medical Center Gastroenterology  Frank J Farrell MD  Womens Health Care Clinic  UCSF The Comprehensive Cancer Center  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  Patrick Y Wong MD  SFGH Medicine & Gastroenterology Clinic  DR, MARTIN S. LIBERMAN  Stephen C Pardys MD  John C Fletcher MD & William Parmer MD Inc  US & International Medicine Wing K King MD  Doctors Office  Doctors Office  Doctors Office  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Gastroenterology  Dean L Rider MD  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  H David Watts MD  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  UCSF Medical Center Gastroenterology  Sunset Health Services  VA Hospital  UCSF VA Medical Center  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Digestive Disease Medical Group  Lawrence B Lusk MD  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  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  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Northern California Gastroenterology Consultants  Alameda County Medical Center  Alameda County Medical Center Highland Hospital Campus  Robert H Kubin MD  Kenneth T Roost MD  Gastroenterology Consultants of The Peninsula  Center for Digestive Disorders  Center for Digestive Disorders  Gastroenterology Consultants of The Peninsula  Center for Digestive Disorders  Marin Gastroenterology  Marin Gastroenterology  Marin Gastroenterology  Marin Gastroenterology  Marin Gastroenterology San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco is a popular international tourist destination, renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the cable cars, and Chinatown. The city is also a principal banking and finance center, and the home of over 30 international financial institutions, helping to make San Francisco fifteenth in the world's list of cities by GDP and eighth in the United States. Upcoming Local Events2012-05-20
2012-06-03
2012-06-16
2012-06-16
2012-06-23
2012-06-24
2012-07-01
2012-07-28
2012-08-05
2012-10-21
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 San Francisco
Nearby San Francisco Hospitals *Saint Francis Memorial Hospital California Pacific Medical Center Pacific Campus California Pacific Medical Center Davies Campus UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion Chinese Hospital Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center San Francisco General Hospital California Pacific Medical Center East Campus St Mary's Medical Center California Pacific Medical Center California Campus St Luke's Hospital UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center San Francisco VA Medical Center Seton Medical Center Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Summit Campus Alameda Hospital Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Oakland Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Herrick Campus Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Alta Bates Campus Alameda County Medical Center Highland Campus Doctor's Medical Center San Pablo Marin General Hospital Kentfield Rehabilitation & Specialty Hospital Mills-Peninsula Health Services Mills Hospital San Leandro Hospital Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area John George Psychiatric Pavilion Alameda County Medical Center Fairmont Campus Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center Seton Medical Center Coastside San Mateo Medical Center Eden Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center St Rose Hospital Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center Contra Costa Regional Medical Center VA Northern CA Healthcare System at Martinez Sequoia Hospital John Muir Medical Center Walnut Creek Campus Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center Novato Community Hospital San Ramon Regional Medical Center John Muir Behavioral Health Center St Helena Hospital Center for Behavioral Health John Muir Medical Center Concord Campus Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center Menlo Park Surgical Hospital Sutter Solano Medical Center Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford Hospital & Clinics Washington Hospital Fremont Hospital ValleyCare Health System Pleasanton VA Palo Alto Health Care System El Camino Hospital Petaluma Valley 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
-
Related Diseases & Conditions
6 articles-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Esophageal Cancer
-
Medications
5 articles -
Procedures & Tests
4 articles -
Pictures, Images & Quizzes
1 articles -
Doctor's & Expert's Views
1 articles -
Health News
0 articles -
Health Features
0 articles
