01/01/2026    Paul Kesselman, DPM

Are we “Real” Doctors?

Last night, toward the end of a Zuma class, the
young instructor began to feel weak and said she
could not safely continue the class as she was not
feeling well. Later, the other regulars in the
class told me she had a myriad of medical issues.
After the class, the instructor admitted she had
been suffering from hypokalemia for years, but her
doctors were not sure why. One of my neighbors
then told her I was a doctor, but not of the whole
body, rather of the foot and ankle. Totally
deflecting those remarks, a conversation proceeded
with the instructor with many questions. Her
answers and some follow-up questions, especially
about various prescription potassium supplements,
were shocking to this nosey neighbor. Despite not
having those two magical letters after my name,
the conversation which took place left my neighbor
speechless. Then came the quote of the evening
from the instructor, “See, he understands what I
am talking about”, especially when we discussed
potential cardiac events, one of which she
admitted she had a few years ago.

It was only later that evening when having a
private conversation with my neighbor, was one
question asked of her: If you were undergoing the
simplest of foot/ankle surgery or had blood work
ordered by a “foot and ankle” doctor, wouldn’t you
want them to understand the implications and
results of those tests? She of course said yes.

One must wonder if an ENT doctor, a foot and ankle
orthopod, gastroenterologist or an ophthalmologist
had been in that class would my neighbor have said
the same things to them? After all those same
doctors “don’t treat” the “whole body”. But then
again, in all fairness to my neighbor, medicine
has become so compartmentalized, what doctor,
other than internists, family medicine and
pediatrics does actually” treat” the “whole body”?

There is no doubt podiatrists must understand the
basics of all organ systems as any other
medical/surgical specialists regardless of MD/DO
curriculum. Ophthalmologists are not going to be
performing cardiac surgery any time soon, nor will
your cardiologist be entrusted to operate on your
cataracts. And that’s fine. But if podiatrists are
to be accepted as full members of the medical
community (and that will take time), we must be
able to demonstrate our educational training is,
to borrow an orthotic and prosthetic term,
“functionally equivalent”.

Paul Kesselman, DPM, Oceanside, NY

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