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DANBURY — Veteran podiatrist, author, and philanthropist Dr Paul Betschart recently released The Foot Book: Fast Foot Facts From the Foot Care Front Lines, with proceeds from its sales being steered to support a Newtown nonprofit. The doctor’s new book is intended to serve as a valuable educational resource when it comes to all things about foot health. Offering important knowledge in a fun and easy-to-understand format, this new book takes on different topics — from pain to skin conditions, and equips readers with the tools to improve their foot health and live better.

Betschart, who lives in Ridgefield and grew up in Danbury, is a major supporter of the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, raising $5,000 for the cause during the 2019 New York Marathon and doing other fundraising for it over the years.

According to correspondence from Betschart, proceeds from The Foot Book will go to the Sandy Hook Foundation.

“I wanted to give back to a local charity with the revenue created from the book sales,” Betschart said. “Two years ago, I ran in the New York City Marathon and used that run to raise funds for Sandy Hook Promise. It’s a good cause, creating gun safety awareness and educating peo- ple when it comes to gun safety reform.”

Betschart said that he was drawn to the foundation as “it’s a local charity with a national reach.” “We see gun violence happening everywhere, and the foundation does a great job with education and intervening prior to violence happening,” said Betschart. The Foot Book is a comprehensive book that offers the best advice and knowledge from Betschart’s 27 years of experience as a foot and ankle specialist.

From talking about the most common foot health issues to taking a deep dive into more complex topics such as peripheral neuropathy and sportsrelated conditions, the book simplifies medical nomenclature for the average reader and helps people develop a solid understanding of their foot health needs.

Inspiration for this book came from the rhyming Foot Book by Dr Seuss, that Betschart remembered from his childhood. His own The Foot Book has a playful subtitle, “the one for adults,” on the cover.

“We wanted something that would grab people’s attention,” said Betschart. While the children’s Foot

Book contained rhymes about opposites, Betschart’s The Foot Book is an essential read for adults of all ages to become aware of their foot health, which can subsequently help them improve their overall health and live a better life.

“It’s a medical text for the lay person that’s basically about what I do as a podiatrist,” said Betschart. “It introduces podiatry to people that may not know everything I can do for them.” m u s t m e n o n B e e F e e z e a d w h e n s c h e d u n g t o e c e v e d s c o u n t o n f u - p r c e d C o o s c u p n g t e a t m e n t C o o S c u p n g ® s F D A - c e a e d o r e a t v i s b e a t b u g e s n 9 a e a s o t h e b o d y S o m e c o m m o n s d e e f e c t s n c u d e t e m p o a y n u m b n e s s d s c o m o r t a n d s w e l n g

Some examples are that people may not realize that he treats fractures, and trims toenails and calluses, among many other things, said Betschart.

After running his practice in Manhattan for more than 20 years, Betschart moved his clinic to his hometown, Danbury, where he has been offering podiatric care ever since.

Constantly working with the latest technology to offer more services to his patients, Betschart began working on The Foot Book as a simple yet important foot health guide for the masses. The book offers science- and research-based knowledge, along with pictures, to help people understand foot health without making any guesses.

From diagnosis and treatment to surgery and post-care, Betschart and his team offer individualized care to each and every clinic patient. The Foot Book has also been written in a way that makes it easy for each reader to implement the knowledge and advice to their daily lives and make decisions to improve their foot health.

Betschart said that the Kindle version of The Foot Book reached #1 in the Podiatry category on Amazon. There are two additional books planned to follow Betschart hinted, intending to have more specific focuses than the first.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee. com.