Achalasia Center - San Ramon, CA
San Ramon 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 Ramon * Steven A Friedman MD  Anderson Rowe MD  Tri Valley Gastroenterology  Tri Valley Gastroenterology  Valley Digestive Care Medical Associates  David H Lin MD  Camacho & Musni MDs  Phillip A Wolfe & Eric Rowen MDs  Phillip A Wolfe & Eric Rowen MDs  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  S Saeed Zamani MD  Henry Kung MD  Gerald Tarder MD  S Saeed Zamani MD  Bay Area Colon & Rectal Surgeons  Miles F Adler MD  Vinod Sawhney MD  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Mission Primary Care  Kenneth A Kelsen MD  Fremont Medical Group  Eugene J Burbige MD  Gastroenterology Medical Group  David N Varon MD  Washington Township Medical Group  Shakir Hyder MD  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Ramakrishna Gollapudi MD  Alameda County Medical Center  Alameda County Medical Center Highland Hospital Campus  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  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  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  Family Doctor Medical Group  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Menlo Medical Clinic  Menlo Medical Clinic  Betty M Ho MD  Scott D Levenson MD  Scott D Levenson MD  Susie M Liu MD  David S Shields MD  Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Gastroenterology Department  Harvey S Young MD  Medical Specialties Clinic  Center for Digestive Disorders  Center for Digestive Disorders  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Center for Digestive Disorders  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Camino Medical Group Gastroenterology  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  San Mateo County General Hospital  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  Edward K Onuma & Eugene Y Lee MDs  Peninsula Gastroenterology Medical Group  Edward K Onuma & Eugene Y Lee MDs San Ramon, 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 San Ramon
Nearby San Ramon Hospitals *San Ramon Regional Medical Center ValleyCare Health System Pleasanton Eden Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center John George Psychiatric Pavilion Alameda County Medical Center Fairmont Campus Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area John Muir Medical Center Walnut Creek Campus San Leandro Hospital St Rose Hospital Valley Memorial Hospital Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center Alameda County Medical Center Highland Campus John Muir Medical Center Concord Campus John Muir Behavioral Health Center Washington Hospital Livermore Division of the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System Alameda Hospital Fremont Hospital Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Oakland Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Summit Campus Sutter Delta Medical Center Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Alta Bates Campus Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland VA Northern CA Healthcare System at Martinez Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Herrick Campus Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Doctor's Medical Center San Pablo San Francisco General Hospital Chinese Hospital Menlo Park Surgical Hospital Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center Mills Hospital Saint Francis Memorial Hospital San Mateo Medical Center St Luke's Hospital California Pacific Medical Center Pacific Campus California Pacific Medical Center Davies Campus Sequoia Hospital UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Mills-Peninsula Health Services Stanford Hospital & Clinics California Pacific Medical Center East Campus St Mary's Medical Center California Pacific Medical Center California Campus UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center VA Palo Alto Health Care System St Helena Hospital Center for Behavioral Health Seton Medical Center Sutter Solano Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center El Camino Hospital Sutter Tracy Community Hospital Regional Medical Center of San Jose San Francisco VA Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center O'Connor Hospital Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Telecare Solano Psychiatric Health Facility Marin General Hospital Kentfield Rehabilitation & Specialty Hospital NorthBay Medical Center Seton Medical Center Coastside 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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Dysphagia
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