Achalasia Center - Santa Clarita, CA
Santa Clarita 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 Santa Clarita * Facey Medical Group Valencia II  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Maria S Umali MD  Facey Medical Foundation Mission Hills  HeathCare Partners Medical Group  Mysore R Nagaraja MD  Richard D Garrett MD  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Richard K Gordon MD  Piyush Jogani MD  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Mark F Tsai MD  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Paul O Gulsrud MD  Moe Amadpour MD  Gnana Desigan MD  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Nagaraj M Chetty MD  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Serra Community Medical Clinic  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Gourdji & Jacobs MDs  Gourdji & Jacobs MDs  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Marcos B Fleiderman MD  Carl I Blau MD  Federal Medical Clinic  Efrat Z Lobel MD APC Female Gastroenterologist  Star Weight Control  Medical Group Of Encino  Lakeside Medical Associates  Lakeside Medical Associates  Esmail Hessami MD  Rapid Care Urgent Care  Lakeside Medical Associates  Michael Albertson MD  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  Marvin Derezin MD  Marvin Derezin MD  UCLA Medical Group Gastroenterology  Capsule Endoscopy Services UCLA  Kirsten Tillisch MD  Doctor House Call  Nicholas Karyotakis MD  Daniel Lahana MD  Soraya A Ross MD  Hector Cabellero MD  Cedar Sinai Medical Center  Harry A Cynamon MD  Mark Davidson MD  Joel D Feinstein MD  Drs Cynamon & Feldman  Siamak Tabib MD  Donald R Henderson MD  Payman?Khorrami MD  Herbert R Kornfeld MD  Joseph Loewy MD  Drs Cynamon & Feldman  Rahbar Medical Group  Century City Endoscopy  Siamak Tabib MD  Jeffrey H Sherman MD  Jeffrey H Sherman MD  Mitchell J Spirt MD  Siamak Tabib MD  Siamak Tabib MD  Sadler Medical Group  Cedars-Sinai Esophageal Center  Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Gastroenterology  Shahab Mehdizadeh MD  Shahab Mehdizadeh MD  Cedars-Sinai Esophageal Center  John D Romm MD & Howard Pitchon MD Santa Clarita, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-05-20
2012-06-02
2012-06-10
2012-06-10
2012-06-16
2012-06-30
2012-07-15
2012-07-28
2012-09-01
2012-09-30
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 Santa Clarita
Nearby Santa Clarita Hospitals *Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Olive View UCLA Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Northridge Hospital Medical Center Simi Valley Hospital Mission Community Hospital Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center West Hills Hospital & Medical Center Valley Presbyterian Hospital Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center Tarzana Regional Medical Center Hollywood Community Hospital of Van Nuys Encino Hospital Medical Center Motion Picture & Television Hospital Sherman Oaks Hospital Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center Verdugo Hills Hospital Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Hollywood Community Hospital Glendale Adventist Medical Center Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Saint John's Health Center Miracle Mile Medical Center Olympia Medical Center Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center Temple Community Hospital Brotman Medical Center Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center Shriners Hospitals for Children Los Angeles St John's Pleasant Valley Hospital St Vincent Medical Center Barlow Respiratory Hospital Antelope Valley Hospital Lancaster Community Hospital Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center Good Samaritan Hospital Huntington Hospital Kaiser Mental Health Center Pacific Alliance Medical Center Marina Del Rey Hospital California Hospital Medical Center Kindred Hospital Los Angeles Orthopaedic Medical Center USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center USC University Hospital LAC + USC Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center Women's & Children's Hospital White Memorial Medical Center Alhambra Hospital Medical Center Aurora Las Encinas Hospital Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles San Gabriel Valley Medical Center Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center Centinela Campus East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Garfield Medical Center Los Angeles Community Hospital Monterey Park Hospital City of Angels Medical Center Ingleside Campus Community Hospital of Huntington Park Methodist 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
