Achalasia Center - South Gate, CA
South Gate 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 South Gate * Multi Health Care Medical Group  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  LAC / Martin Luther King Jr General Hospital  Steven J Weiss MD  Gastro Digestive Medical Group  Frischer Medical Group  Western Healthcare  Ethelred Carter MD  Conrad A Cox MD  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  White Memorial Medical Group  Jun-Ichi Ohara MD  David Shih MD  Matsumoto Internal Medicine  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Mark Li MD  USC Internal Medicine  Coast Gastroenterology Group  William Essilfie MD  Jose Pantoja MD  Drs Sial & Cohen  West Gastroenterology Associates  Digestive Disease Center  Drs Sial & Cohen  West Gastroenterology Associates  William P Stuppy MD  Gastroenterology Consultants  Firmin Ho MD  Lisandro Quinones MD  Abdul Alaama MD  Ho S Bae MD  Laser Endoscopy Medical Group  Barry Morguelan MD  Anastacio Pinzon MD  B Raymond Lim MD & Myoza T Lim MD  Martin H Lee MD  Jin H Suh MD  Dennis Chan MD  Chia-Chi G Lai MD  Kwok-Leung Chung MD  Chun Yen Hsu MD  Shih Lin Lue MD  West Gastroenterology Associates  Paul Choi MD  Coast Gastroenterology  Coast Gastroenterology  Coast Gastroenterology  Coast Gastroenterology  Yong Tai Lee MD  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Pyoung I Kwon MD  Robert A Mecum MD  Harbor UCLA Medical Foundation  Derek M. Dobalian MD  Harbor UCLA Medical Foundation  Thomas S Lam MD  Richard L Parks MD & Barton Ueki MD  Mingquan Bussarakum MD  Talbert Medical Group  Robert J Mehler MD  William Loebman MD  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Tavitian Gastroenterology Medical Group  Vincente Villa Jr. MD  West Gastroenterology Associates  West Gastroenterology Associates  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Artoon Arakel MD  Ioana A Bina MD Inc  Tu Tran MD  California Pancreatic Biliary Institute  California Pancreatic Biliary Institute  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Rangarao Panguluri MD  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Kaiser Permanente Harbor City Mixed Specialties  Kaiser Permanente Harbor City Mixed Specialties  Kaiser Permanente Harbor City Mixed Specialties South Gate, 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 South Gate
Nearby South Gate Hospitals *St Francis Medical Center Community Hospital of Huntington Park Martin Luther King Jr MAC Service Center Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Downey Regional Medical Center Los Angeles Community Hospital East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Suburban Medical Center Campus Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Orthopaedic Medical Center California Hospital Medical Center White Memorial Medical Center Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Memorial Hospital of Gardena LAC + USC Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center Women's & Children's Hospital Vista Hospital of South Bay Bellflower Medical Center Beverly Hospital USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Lakewood Regional Medical Center USC University Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital Monterey Park Hospital College Hospital Cerritos Pacific Alliance Medical Center Kaiser Mental Health Center Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center Centinela Campus St Vincent Medical Center Barlow Respiratory Hospital Metropolitan State Hospital Norwalk Community Hospital Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center Hawthorne Campus Garfield Medical Center Shriners Hospitals for Children Los Angeles Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center Temple Community Hospital City of Angels Medical Center Ingleside Campus Alhambra Hospital Medical Center LAC Harbor UCLA Medical Center Kindred Hospital Los Angeles Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Miller Children's Hospital Pacific Hospital of Long Beach VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center BHC Alhambra Hospital Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Tri-City Regional Medical Center Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center Greater El Monte Community Hospital Kindred Hospital La Mirada Olympia Medical Center Miracle Mile Medical Center Whittier Hospital Medical Center San Gabriel Valley Medical Center Hollywood Community Hospital Brotman Medical Center Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance Community Hospital of Long Beach La Palma Intercommunity Hospital St Mary Medical Center Glendale Memorial Hospital & Health Center Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center Torrance Memorial Medical Center Huntington Hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Del Amo Hospital Los Alamitos Medical Center Glendale Adventist Medical Center VA Long Beach Healthcare System 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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