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Health Last Updated: Apr 14, 2018 - 3:07:48 AM


LEAP program to be introduced to Bahamas
By Felicity Ingraham
Apr 13, 2018 - 4:11:24 PM

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Dr. Daniel Johnson

Foot and Ankle International, led by Dr. Daniel Johnson will be hosting a team of international expert podiatrists over the next few weeks for the implementation of the LEAP program designed specifically to help diabetics.

LEAP (Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention) seeks to address the prevalence of amputations in diabetics. Surgeons would remove an apparently rotting toe, foot or portion of a leg to save the rest of the body. For Dr. Johnson, "far too many" diabetics are losing limbs unnecessarily and hence, he deciced to reach out to his international team to call them to his home and help solve this crisis.

"We are implementing a five year plan to reduce the rate of amputation in diabetics by 50 per-cent and then share the model with the world," Dr. Johnson shared.

"Welcome to 21st century medicine! Foot and Ankle International is a group of Podiatric Medical Doctors and Surgeons on a mission to solve the problem with the diabetic foot wreaking havoc on the population. We have embarked upon project LEAP, putting our money where our mouths are, investing massively in old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. We are looking at sports medicine, regenerative medicine and healthy lifestyles."

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Photos Show: diabetic foot before; buinion after surgery, bunion xray; bunion after podiatry care - didn't have to amputate

Dr Johnson has teamed up with Spectrum Surgi Centre and is joined by doctors such as Dr. Stephen Dorsette; Dr. Joe Fox, a Podiatry Specialist in New York City with more than 44 years of medical experience; and Dr. Stan Kalish in Atlanta, whose revolutionary surgical procedures on limbs resulted in "the Kalish Osteotomy" in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery.

The LEAP program will not only focus on surgery, but will also have a heavy focus on preventative care, teaching Diabetics how to prevent the maladies of the condition. The doctors will be teaming with sports franchises and and health and wellness facilities to produce the best outcome for diabetics.

"We have put together the best team of surgeons or practitioners to deal with any kind of foot problem you can imagine," Dr Johnson boasted.

"When you preserve a limb, you preserve a life. When your feet hurt, you hurt all over. The problem with Diabetics is that they can't feel their feet. They are in a situation where the worse it gets, the more you can't feel; and the mind thinks the problem is not as great as it is because you can't feel it. We must reprogram our minds towards prevention."

By implementing healthier lifestyles, he added, patients can avoid the habits that lead to heart attack or stroke and greatly improve the quality of their lives. He is taking the LEAP program to the Turks and Caicos and thereafter, he and his team of specialists will begin to share the program with the region and then go worldwide. 

"You don't want to have an amputation, go blind, or end up on dialysis," he said.

"What we are doing at Foot and Ankle is really putting ninety per cent of our resources, time and energy into a preventative model and I think we will see great results. Let's see what we could do to improve the lives of our people."

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