Achalasia Center - Thousand Oaks, CA
Thousand Oaks 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 Thousand Oaks * Gregory Johnson MD  Paul D Sanders MD  Bonaventure Eng MD  Steven A Kind MD  Sharam Daneshgar MD  Advanced Gastroenterology Inc  Hector Cabellero MD  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  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  Moe Amadpour MD  Mysore R Nagaraja MD  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  Paul O Gulsrud MD  Cecilio M Cabansag MD  Constante Abaya MD  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  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  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Richard K Gordon MD  Piyush Jogani MD  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Mark F Tsai MD  Richard D Garrett MD  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Kaiser Permanente Buenaventura Medical Group  Carl I Blau MD  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Doctor House Call  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Federal Medical Clinic  Facey Medical Group Valencia II  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Efrat Z Lobel MD APC Female Gastroenterologist  Star Weight Control  Medical Group Of Encino  Maria S Umali MD  Gnana Desigan MD  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Nagaraj M Chetty MD  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine  Facey Medical Foundation Mission Hills  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  N Robert Elson MD  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Sean C Lai MD  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Shahrad Shamsi MD  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  HeathCare Partners Medical Group  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 Thousand Oaks, 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 Thousand Oaks
Nearby Thousand Oaks Hospitals *Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center St John's Pleasant Valley Hospital Simi Valley Hospital Motion Picture & Television Hospital West Hills Hospital & Medical Center St John's Regional Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center Northridge Hospital Medical Center Tarzana Regional Medical Center Ventura County Medical Center Community Memorial Hospital Encino Hospital Medical Center Aurora Vista Del Mar Hospital Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Valley Presbyterian Hospital Mission Community Hospital Hollywood Community Hospital of Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Hospital Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center Saint John's Health Center Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital Olive View UCLA Medical Center Ojai Valley Community Hospital Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Marina Del Rey Hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Brotman Medical Center Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center Miracle Mile Medical Center Olympia Medical Center Kindred Hospital Los Angeles Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System Hollywood Community Hospital Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center 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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