Achalasia Center - Taunton, MA
Taunton 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 Taunton * Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Robert A Sepersky MD  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Truesdale Clinic Southcoast Physicians Services  Truesdale Clinic Southcoast Physicians Services  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Sidney W Rosen MD  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Caritas Medical Practice Corp  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Southcoast Physicians Services  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  Harbor Medical  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Harbor Medical & Associates  Harbor Medical & Associates  Robert F Kelliher MD  Mohammad Farivar MD  Southwestern Gastroenterological Associates PC  Associates In Internal Medicine  Granite Medical Group  Granite Medical Group  Arthur J Esswein MD  Plymouth Carver Primary Care PC  George L Barrett MD  South Shore Internal Medicine  South Shore Internal Medicine  Eric Cohen MD  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates  Van Ritter MD  Thomas J Kenney Jr. MD Inc  Thomas J Kenney Jr. MD Inc  VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury  Pham Medical Associates  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  VA Boston Healthcare System  VA Boston Healthcare System  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Boston University Medical Group  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Blackwell Medical Associates  Blackwell Medical Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  Blackwell Medical Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Boston University Medical Group  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Liver Center  Beth Israel Deaconess Gastroenterology Taunton, MassachusettsUpcoming 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 Taunton
Nearby Taunton Hospitals *Morton Hospital & Medical Center Taunton State Hospital New Bedford Rehabilitation Hospital Charlton Memorial Hospital Saint Anne's Hospital Sturdy Memorial Hospital Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton St Luke's Hospital Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Arbour-Fuller Hospital Bradley Hospital Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton Butler Hospital Tobey Hospital The Miriam Hospital Hasbro Children's Hospital Rhode Island Hospital Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island Southern New England Rehabilitation Center St Joseph Health Services Providence VA Medical Center Roger Williams Medical Center New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Our Lady of Fatima Hospital Jordan Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree Pembroke Hospital Eleanor Slater Hospital Pastore Center South Shore Hospital Massachusetts Hospital School Kent Hospital Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital Caritas Norwood Hospital Landmark Medical Center Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island Westwood Lodge Hospital Milton Hospital Newport Hospital Quincy Medical Center Falmouth Hospital Caritas Carney Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape & Islands Massachusetts Mental Health Center Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Bournewood Hospital Faulkner Hospital Milford Regional Medical Center Arbour Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital New England Baptist Hospital Boston Medical Center Brigham & Women's Hospital Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Tufts New England Medical Center Kindred Hospital Boston Arbour HRI Hospital Newton Wellesley Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children 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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