The APMA recently described the U.S. Hispanic population as being at the center of a “perfect storm” for diabetes diagnoses. Contributors of type 2 diabetes include:

1. Genetics
2. Poor diet
3. Lack of exercise

Unfortunately Hispanics are at risk for all three, making them 66% more likely than non-Hispanic whites of becoming a diabetic. This news is especially important in Florida, where Hispanics are nearly one quarter of the population.

Regardless of one’s racial makeup, the good news is that knocking your socks off may be the answer!  The APMA campaign encourages those with diabetes to take the first step to avoid some of the most serious difficulties of diabetes: Get an annual foot exam from a podiatrist. By checking in with Dr. Vimal Reddy at least once a year, he will be able to examine your feet and watch for complications.  Some of the complications that can be prevented include:

• Nerve damage (neuropathy)
• Calluses
• Foot Ulcers
• Amputation

If every at risk individual had an annual foot exam, it could save the U.S. an estimated $3.5 billion each year—and it could save your foot.  There’s no better time than NOW to make an appointment with Dr. Reddy at the First Coast Foot & Ankle Clinic in Jacksonville, FL for your yearly diabetic foot evaluation.

By Dr. Vimal Reddy

A recent study in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that in the past decade the number of Americans taking antidepressants has doubled.  Psychiatrists are not prescribing most of these antidepressants because the majority of Americans taking antidepressants are not being treated for depression. The drugs are not being used to treat a mental health problem so it’s unnecessary to call in the mental health specialists.

Using antidepressants to treat conditions other than depression might sound wrong, but some drugs have more than one use. The FDA must initially approve a new drug for a specific condition, for example, treating depression.  If a new use for a drug is discovered, doctors are free to prescribe it for that use as long as they find it justifiable. After many studies and trials, the FDA might approve the drug for a new purpose beyond what it was originally invented for.

So how is this relevant to podiatry? According to Dr. Vimal Reddy, a variety of diseases—including diabetes—result in painful tingling sensations in the feet, peripheral neuropathy. It has been discovered that certain drugs used to treat depression also have the benefit of reducing these painful sensations. Under the care of a physician, these drugs are generally safe and can provide relief for those suffering from peripheral neuropathy. With the diabetic population growing, even in Jacksonville FL, more people will suffer from peripheral neuropathy and seek the relief these antidepressants may provide.

By Dr. Vimal Reddy

With diabetes on the rise, it is important more then ever for diabetics to manage their health by keeping their blood sugar (or blood glucose) under control. To do this, patients need to check their blood glucose regularly. Here at the First Coast Foot and Ankle Clinic, we take the same position as the American Diabetes Association:

1. Check your blood glucose daily
2. Keep a log to monitor how it changes from day to day

By keeping a close watch over your blood glucose, you are doing something of vital importance for your over-all health, including your feet.  Unfortunately, many people in Jacksonville, FL have trouble maintaining the daily regimen recommended due to:

• Checking your glucose can be painful: To minimize the pain, try to draw blood from different sites each day.                                      

• Glucose test strips are not cheap: If you have difficulty paying for test strips, at the very least try to check your blood                                                            glucose three times a week.

People who do not control their blood glucose are at risk for losing sensation in their feet—a disease called peripheral neuropathy. Without the ability to sense pain, touch, or pressure in your feet, you won’t be able to know if you are doing something that is hurting your foot. At this point, foot care becomes extremely important because of the heightened possibility of injuries and infection.

Being diagnosed with diabetes can seem like a life-altering event, but does not mean you cannot continue living a healthy, active, life.          Dr. Reddy can work with your primary care provider to help you manage your diabetes while still getting the most out of your life.

By Dr. Vimal Reddy

A recent study by Thomson Reuters found if diabetic patients visited a podiatrist just once before complications from a diabetic foot ulcer set in, it would result in $3.5 billion in savings for the US health-care system in one year. Podiatrists like Dr. Vimal Reddy are well trained in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.  If caught early the disease process does not escalate like it otherwise would if the patient had not seen a podiatrist, equaling fewer health care dollars spent.

People with diabetes often lose feeling in their feet, known as neuropathy. As a result, an individual with diabetes is more at risk of injuring their feet without knowing so. For example: You decide to check out the Jacksonville Riverside Art Market on Saturday.  Unfortunately, you have a rock in your shoe and walk all day without knowing the rock is rubbing the same spot over and over again. By the time you get home to kick off your shoes, you discover the rock and a fresh new wound. Unfortunately, people with diabetes heal wounds more slowly, causing the wound to become infected more easily. Sadly, many patients can lose their feet as a result. Podiatrists are at the forefront in preventing these disasters, and the physical, emotional and financial savings are substantial.

This is an EXTREMELY big deal and here’s why:

• As a nation, we are already in a cost-cutting mode
• Finding ways to trim health care expenditures is important, and podiatrists can help
• Jacksonville lies just outside the Diabetes Belt, and podiatrists like Dr. Reddy have an important role locally.

If you have diabetes, you have everything to gain from forming a good relationship with a podiatrist. So stop over to the First Coast Foot and Ankle Clinic near St. Luke’s Hospital, and learn how you can save both your feet and your money!

By Dr. Vimal Reddy

The Centers for Disease Control has released a new outline where diabetes is particularly prevalent in the United States.  They have dubbed it…The Diabetes Belt. “The Belt” spans across the South, from Tennessee to West Virginia, Louisiana to Georgia, including parts of Northern Florida.  Jacksonville lies just outside of the Diabetes Belt.   While diabetes is clearly a severe problem in other parts of the country, Jacksonville has much room for improvement as well.

While the study does not distinguish between Type 1 (juvenile onset) and Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes, 90% of all diabetics are Type 2. Factors affecting this include:

• Genetics
• Diet
• Lack of exercise

Different counties within the Diabetes Belt also have higher incidence of strokes. This association is not surprising, as diabetes is associated with cardiovascular disease. The same disease process which leads to strokes, also leads to diseases of the blood vessels in the foot. Unfortunately the diabetic foot has poor circulation, taking it longer for wounds to heal.  This is where Dr. Vimal Reddy at the First Coast Foot and Ankle Clinic can help. As a podiatrist, Dr. Reddy is better equipped than doctors of other specialty to address problems that arise in the feet. 

By Dr. Vimal Reddy

The Centers for Disease Control released new figures estimating the number of people with diabetes at nearly 26 million. This is an increase of 2.4 million from 2008. Furthermore, the number of Americans with pre-diabetes is up to 79 million. This is a shockingly high increase of 22 million from 2008. These distressing figures indicate that podiatrists such as, Dr. Vimal Reddy, will become increasingly more important in helping the growing number of people living with diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Those with diabetes gradually lose their ability to control their blood sugar. High blood sugar affects blood vessels. When the blood vessels become diseased, problems arise in the foot including loss of sensation and ulcers. Unfortunately, before blood sugar gets high enough to diagnose an individual with diabetes, high blood sugar can and will affect the body. This is why the increasing number of people with pre-diabetes is an important problem to deal with. Many of our patients at the First Coast Foot Clinic in Jacksonville, FL have these same problems, which Dr. Vimal Reddy can address.

Fortunately, we are becoming better at treating diabetes, and people with this disease are living longer and healthier lives. We are also getting better at diagnosing diabetes. Therefore people with this condition can find out sooner to be able to get the treatment they need. If you are at risk or think you may be at risk for diabetes, your podiatrist can advise you on the steps to take to prevent this disease. If you think you may have diabetes, set up an appointment with Dr. Reddy for a foot screening.

By Dr. Vimal Reddy