Achalasia Center - Schenectady, NY
Schenectady 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 Schenectady * Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Bernard L Meyers MD  Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates  Yogesh Gupta MD  Albany Area Gastroenterology  Capital District Gastroenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  AMC Gastorenterology  Northeast Gastroenterology & Hepatology  Gastroenterology and Psychiatry  Asma Arif MD  Richard Eglow MD PC  Luz M Alvarez MD PC  Hamid A Rehman MD  Kamini Ramani MD  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Jeff I Monkash MD  Hudson Valley Gastroenterology  Mark R Feldman MD  Hudson Valley Gastroenterology  Grand Street Medical Associates  Mid-Hudson Family Health Institute  Bassett Healthcare Digestive Diseases  Bassett Healthcare Digestive Diseases  Bassett Healthcare Digestive Diseases  Bassett Healthcare Digestive Diseases  Bassett Healthcare Digestive Diseases  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Greenwich Village Gastroenterology  Slocum Dickson Medical Group PLLC  Mid Hudson Medical Group  Mid Hudson Medical Group  Digestive Disease Center of the Hudson Valley  Mount Kisco Medical Group PC  Digestive Disease Center of the Hudson Valley  Hudson Valley Gastroenterology Assoc  Hudson Valley Gastroenterology Assoc  Hudson Valley Gastroenterology Assoc  Hudson Valley Gastroenterology Assoc  Ferndale Adult Health  Crystal Run HealthCare LLP  Crystal Run HealthCare LLP  Crystal Run HealthCare LLP  Crystal Run HealthCare LLP  Slocum Dickson Medical Group PLLC  Digestive Disease Medicine Of Central NY  Digestive Disease Medicine Of Central NY  Digestive Disease Medicine Of Central NY  Digestive Disease Medicine Of Central NY  Digestive Disease Medicine Of Central NY  Digestive Disease Medicine Of Central NY  Digestive Disease Medicine Of Central NY  Dr Nicholas G Bambino  Sullivan Internal Medicine  John E Knipp MD  Mount Kisco Medical Group PC  Mount Kisco Medical Group PC  Mount Kisco Medical Group PC  Crystal Run HealthCare LLP  Crystal Run HealthCare LLP  Teitel & Lin MDs  Teitel & Lin MDs  Middletown Medical  Horizon Family Medicine  Horizon Family Medicine Schenectady, New YorkUpcoming 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 Schenectady
Nearby Schenectady Hospitals *Ellis Hospital Ellis Hospital McClellan Campus Sunnyview Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Bellevue Woman's Hospital St Peter's Hospital Albany Memorial Hospital Capital District Psychiatric Center Albany Medical Center Stratton VA Medical Center at Albany Albany Medical Center South Clinical Campus St Mary's Hospital Troy Amsterdam Memorial Healthcare Samaritan Hospital St Mary's Hospital Amsterdam Four Winds Hospital Saratoga Saratoga Hospital Nathan Littauer Hospital Cobleskill Regional 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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