Achalasia Center - Turlock, CA
Turlock 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 Turlock * Mark Jeffrey MD  Juan Carlos Canale MD  Safwat M Absood MD  Sutter Gould Medical Foundation Gastroenterology  Sutter Gould Medical Foundation Gastroenterology  Sutter Gould Medical Foundation Gastroenterology  Magdy Elsakr MD  McHenry Medical Group Inc Gastroenterology  McHenry Medical Group Inc Gastroenterology  McHenry Medical Group Inc Gastroenterology  Richard A Cercle MD Inc  Shahin Laghaee MD  Bobby D Peterson MD  Mak Man-Siak MD  Madhu K Kris MD  Merced Medical Clinic  Douglas Deutsch MD  Merced Gastroenterology Medical Office Inc  Ripudaman S Beniwal MD  Ismail M Wadiwala MD  San Joaquin Community Hospital  San Joaquin Community Hospital  Mahesh G Modi MD  Robert Protell MD  George E Rishwain MD  Lakshmare Tiyyagura MD  Sohan S Mahil MD  Iftikhar A Malik MD  Kaiser Stockton Medical Specialties  Kaiser Stockton Medical Specialties  David R Aarons MD  Mazen Mardini MD  Kevin Stuart MD  Kevin Stuart MD  Mohammed N Siddiqui MD  Tri Valley Gastroenterology  Tri Valley Gastroenterology  California Digestive Diseases  Sally Nacianceno & Rose Palma MDs  Sudin Vittal MD  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  San Jose Gastroenterology  Rasik Kansara MD  Felix K Tam MD  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Kaiser Permanente Gastroenterology  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Varujan Keledjian MD  Camacho & Musni MDs  Phillip A Wolfe & Eric Rowen MDs  Phillip A Wolfe & Eric Rowen MDs  Ramakrishna Gollapudi MD  Frederick Chen MD  Albert J Crevello MD  Bayview Gastroenterology  David W Chui MD  Farr & Farr MD  Alfred L Hurwitz MD  Jagjit S Raju MD  Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Consultants  David E Stein MD FACG  San Jose Medical Group  San Jose Medical Group  Marwan A Balaa MD  Kenneth A Kelsen MD  Michael C Kushlan MD  Terry C Lin DO  Fremont Medical Group  Ayer & Davilla MDs  Mission Primary Care  Shakir Hyder MD  Washington Township Medical Group  Barbara Hom MD  Steven A Friedman MD  Anderson Rowe MD  Sacramento VA Hospital  Sacramento VA Hospital  Valley Digestive Care Medical Associates  Rita Y Lee MD  Los Palos Medical Associates Inc  Los Palos Medical Associates Inc  Los Palos Medical Associates Inc  Marshall Center for LBB_Specialty Care  David H Lin MD  Roberto Gugig MD  Daniel R Cummings MD  Gastroenterology Medical Clinic  Gastroenterology Medical Clinic Turlock, CaliforniaUpcoming 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 Turlock
Nearby Turlock Hospitals *Emanuel Medical Center Kindred Hospital Modesto Stanislaus Surgical Hospital Memorial Medical Center Doctors Medical Center of Modesto Oak Valley Hospital Mercy Medical Center Merced Doctors Hospital of Manteca Memorial Hospital Los Banos Kaiser Permanente Hospital Manteca 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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