09/18/2024    Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD

“Why I Chose an NP for My Care“ National Commercial (Allen Jacobs, DPM)

Allen Jacob’s letter on why one chooses an NP for
care piqued my curiosity, but in a tangential
direction. I began to wonder about the APMA Seals
of Acceptance/Approval. The APMA states it desires
to provide information for podiatric physicians,
their patients and the general public to ensure
they can make the best possible decisions regarding
foot health. On their website the APMA states the
Seal is not an endorsement. Shakespeare said it
best, “A rose by any other name is still a rose.”

There is a committee that determines which product
is fit to use the seal/logo of approval. The
members of the committee are confidential according
to the APMA website. I understand. God forbid an
approved treatment for bromhidrosis does not work
for someone. This NSA committee is protected from
retribution and the need for Witness Protection,
which can get very expensive. The APMA website
stresses safety and utility and the need to submit
various documents to the APMA proving efficacy.
They do not mention if there is a fee for
evaluation of a revolutionary flip-flop seeking the
Seal of Acceptance or a fee to evaluate those
seeking a Seal of Acceptance for a foot deodorant.
I wonder if there is a fee. No I don’t.

The myriad of approved APMA products and
medications that are recommended for public
consumption or use got me thinking and I began to
wonder if other subspecialties in medicine remove
the conundrum of picking the correct shoe suitable
for both Tango and Waltz like the APMA does or is
the public left to sit in the Walmart? parking lot
paralyzed by options. To satisfy my curiosity I
reached out to some other subspecialties. I got in
touch with the colo-rectal surgeons and inquired if
they recommended a particular brand of toilet
tissue. They said they weren’t interested in such
crap. But the encounter did stimulate a chuckle
when I thought about what their seal and logo would
look like. I asked the neurosurgeons’ group if they
had any thoughts about what hat helps prevent
cephalgia. Before she hung up she told me, “One
that’s not too tight.” Good advice on what not to
do.

Some of us remember the Earth Shoe craze of the
early 1970’s. We are the ones too old to vote in
APMA opinion polls. Podiatrists were quick to jump
on board the phenomenon or condemn the concept.
Both based their scientific opinions on the “just
because” and an article in the New York Times. A
secret Danish committee espoused the value.

This was back in the day when if you drove up to
your office and saw a CBS 60 Minutes truck parked
out front, you knew it was not going to be a good
day. Those of us APMA Life Members who can’t vote
remember 60 Minutes as a news magazine similar to
Consumer Reports? which rates products for value
and efficacy, exposing the fraudulent. When rating
automobile safety, they test the cars and report
what they found. They take no money from
manufacturers or individuals to issue a seal. Years
ago they were not afraid to pan podiatry because of
an inferior education and lack of training.

Over the years, they have become friendlier toward
podiatry informing the public that we prescribe
orthotics, treat ingrown nails, provide diabetic
foot care and perform surgical procedures such as
bunionectomies and hammertoe repair. Right off the
APMA website. Find me an NP. Thank God for us
senior members who are not afraid to speak up about
what we see but cannot vote on. Barry Block offers
us a venue to alert the profession.

Rod Tomczak, DPM, MD, EdD, Columbus, OH

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