Achalasia Center - Simi Valley, CA
Simi Valley 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 Simi Valley * Mysore R Nagaraja MD  Moe Amadpour MD  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  Valley Gastro Group  Paul O Gulsrud MD  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Hector Cabellero MD  Sharam Daneshgar MD  Gregory Johnson MD  Paul D Sanders MD  Advanced Gastroenterology Inc  Bonaventure Eng MD  Steven A Kind MD  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Richard K Gordon MD  Piyush Jogani MD  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Digestive Health Consultants  Mark F Tsai MD  Richard D Garrett MD  Facey Medical Group Valencia II  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Maria S Umali MD  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  Facey Medical Foundation Mission Hills  HeathCare Partners Medical Group  Federal Medical Clinic  Efrat Z Lobel MD APC Female Gastroenterologist  Star Weight Control  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Nagaraj M Chetty MD  Gnana Desigan MD  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Medical Group Of Encino  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Doctor House Call  Serra Community Medical Clinic  Marvin Derezin MD  Marvin Derezin MD  UCLA Medical Group Gastroenterology  Capsule Endoscopy Services UCLA  Kirsten Tillisch 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  Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  N Robert Elson MD  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Sean C Lai MD  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Shahrad Shamsi MD  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Nicholas Karyotakis MD  Robert Y Uyeda MD  Payman?Khorrami MD  Herbert R Kornfeld MD Simi Valley, 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 Simi Valley
Nearby Simi Valley Hospitals *Simi Valley Hospital West Hills Hospital & Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center Motion Picture & Television Hospital Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center Northridge Hospital Medical Center Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Tarzana Regional Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Olive View UCLA Medical Center Mission Community Hospital Encino Hospital Medical Center Valley Presbyterian Hospital Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center Hollywood Community Hospital of Van Nuys St John's Pleasant Valley Hospital Sherman Oaks Hospital Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center St John's Regional Medical Center Miracle Mile Medical Center Brotman Medical Center Olympia Medical Center Hollywood Community Hospital Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center Marina Del Rey Hospital VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Kindred Hospital Los Angeles Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center Temple Community Hospital Shriners Hospitals for Children Los Angeles Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center Verdugo Hills Hospital Glendale Adventist Medical Center St Vincent Medical Center Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center Good Samaritan Hospital Ventura County Medical Center Barlow Respiratory Hospital Community Memorial Hospital California Hospital Medical Center Orthopaedic Medical Center Kaiser Mental Health Center Pacific Alliance Medical Center Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center Centinela Campus Aurora Vista Del Mar Hospital Ojai Valley Community Hospital White Memorial Medical Center USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center LAC + USC Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center Women's & Children's Hospital USC University Hospital Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center Hawthorne Campus Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Huntington Hospital Community Hospital of Huntington Park 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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Related Diseases & Conditions
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Esophageal Cancer
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