Achalasia Center - Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz 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 Cruz * Gordon E Lee MD  Monterey Bay Gastroenterology  Monterey Bay Gastroenterology  Monterey Bay Gastroenterology  Santa Cruz Medical Foundation Soquel  Santa Cruz Medical Foundation Soquel  Santa Cruz Medical Foundation Soquel  Santa Cruz Medical Foundation Soquel  Bayview Gastroenterology  Frederick Chen MD  Albert J Crevello MD  Ayer & Davilla MDs  Michael C Kushlan MD  Marwan A Balaa MD  San Jose Medical Group  Terry C Lin DO  San Jose Medical Group  David E Stein MD FACG  Barbara Hom MD  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  David W Chui MD  Farr & Farr MD  Alfred L Hurwitz MD  Jagjit S Raju MD  Felix K Tam 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  Andrew Lipton MD  Kennedy Christian & Rice MDs  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  Rasik Kansara MD  Sally Nacianceno & Rose Palma MDs  Sudin Vittal MD  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  Palo Alto Veterans Hospital GI Endoscopy  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey Bay GI Consultants Medical Group Inc  Monterey County Surgical Associates  Kevin Stuart MD  Kevin Stuart MD  Medical Specialties Clinic  Rita Y Lee MD  David S Shields MD  Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Gastroenterology Department  Susie M Liu MD  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Harvey S Young MD  Los Palos Medical Associates Inc  Los Palos Medical Associates Inc  Los Palos Medical Associates Inc  Menlo Medical Clinic  Menlo Medical Clinic  Betty M Ho MD  Scott D Levenson MD  Scott D Levenson MD  Mission Primary Care  Shakir Hyder MD  Washington Township Medical Group  Kenneth A Kelsen MD  Fremont Medical Group  San Mateo County General Hospital  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Hayward  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Edward K Onuma & Eugene Y Lee MDs  Gastroenterology Specialists Medical Group  Michael Mainardi M.D. Inc.  Edward K Onuma & Eugene Y Lee MDs  Ernest Ribera MD  Marna M Skaar MD  Gastroenterology Consultants of The Peninsula  Gastroenterology Consultants of The Peninsula Santa Cruz, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-05-19
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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 Santa Cruz
Nearby Santa Cruz Hospitals *Dominican Hospital Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center Watsonville Community Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital Mission Oaks Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose El Camino Hospital of Los Gatos Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Santa Clara Valley Medical Center O'Connor Hospital Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center Saint Louise Regional Hospital El Camino Hospital Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Medical Center of San Jose Natividad Medical Center VA Palo Alto Health Care System Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System Stanford Hospital & Clinics Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Menlo Park Surgical 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. |
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