Welcome to the personal website of

Dr. Michael A. Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS, FACFAOM

Thank you for visiting the web site of Dr. Michael Zapf. He is a member of the Agoura-Los Robles Podiatry Centers

The "real" practice web site, the one that contains registration forms, doctor information for all the office and directions to the office is located at:

www.conejofeet.com   ç Click here

I am Dr. Michael Zapf. I have been offering a full range of podiatric medical services, from ingrown nails to heel pain and foot surgery, to my friends and neighbors in the Las Virgenes, Conejo and Simi Valleys since 1985. This is my personal web site. It has been up since 1990 and has received more than 2 million visits. The entire site is my responsibility only and nearly everything on the site was written by me. You are welcome to peruse this site and learn what you can about me, your feet and the problems your feet can develop. Things happen fast in medicine so whatever you read could well be outdated, especially if it was written many years ago. On this site you will read historic articles that I wrote for a lay audience as long as 25 years ago, so please do not take anything on this site as definitive or as applying directly to your condition. You may wonder why I have my own site even though there is also an official practice site. Well, my partners are of a younger generation raised on tweets, e-mails and iPhones. They want a professional site that they believe better represents the professional nature of our practice. They also believe that people no longer take the time to read anything of length. I, on the other foot, think there is still a world out there full of people who still read lengthy descriptions of problems and solutions. if you are one of those old fashioned readers, then this site if for you. Let me know what you think. Let me know you are out there.

Please note that all information and photographs on this site are copyrighted by me, Michael Zapf, DPM, and cannot be used for any private or commercial purposes. I work with two other podiatrists in my practice who may or may not share any of my ideas and philosophy. Do not expect them to practice the way I do or even believe in any of the speculation I present here. If you appreciate what I have written and want me to be your treating doctor, you will have to ask for me specifically. Even if my office says at first, " He is booked until next month",  I still want to see you as long as you are a little flexible with your schedule. If your visit is an emergency, I know that  you will be happy with either of my associates, Dr. Darren Payne or Dr. Steve Benson. They are exceedingly well trained and capable in any foot emergency.

Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS, FACFAOM     (If you want to know what all those initials mean, click here   è  

Our office phone number is (818) 707-3668 and my e-mail address is zfootdoc [at] doctor [dot] com

Agoura Hills Office: 28240 Agoura Road, Suite 101, Agoura Hills, CA 91301

Thousand Oaks Office: 555 Marin Street, Suite 290, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

For the address, hours and registration forms please see the practice web site: www.conejofeet.com

07/24/2010

To Order Foot Supplies è ç click

For Information about Laser Treatment for Fungal Nails Click hereè
 

For information about Shockwave Therapy for heel pain          click here è

Exciting news!!! New Thousand Oaks Location  è

ACORN ARTICLE    October 26, 2000 

New Factors In Wound Healing

              “So Doc, let me see if I got this straight. You’re gonna treat my foot with pig guts and sea weed?” was how Larry greeted my new treatment regimen for his slow to heal foot ulceration. I admitted that this amusing characterization was a not entirely false representation to what I had just told him.

            Larry is one of many people with hard to close wounds. Wounds that refuse to heal are frequently found on the feet but they can be just about anywhere on the body. Diabetes, poor circulation or both are common findings. Larry had both. Most wounds heal if the circulation is good and the wound is kept open and clean.

            Treating these wounds has become an industry onto itself. There are companies that sell many millions of dollars a year worth of products to get wounds to heal. Those of us on the front lines of ulcer and wound care are bombarded by new products every month. I explained to Larry some of the most exciting new products.

            Larry’s wound produces a lot of moisture. Too much moisture is bad so something is needed to absorb the extra fluid. Who would have guessed that a product made from seaweed would be the answer. Classified as an alginate, sea weed dressings can absorb many times their weight in fluids. Even better, the mixture of the alginate and wound fluid creates a gel that further encourages healing. For many people adding a seaweed dressing creates the perfect environment to heal a wound. It helped Larry but it was not enough; he needed growth factors.

            Growth factors are to wounds what Miracle Grow is to roses. It adds just the right ingredients to encourage the body to heal the wound. Currently there are three sources of growth factors available.

The first growth factor commercially available was Procuren, a product developed at a few private wound care centers from patients’ own blood cells. If you are at a Procuren wound care center a paste will be made from your own platelets, a cell found in your blood. Procuren contains about 5 separate growth factors and is daily placed on the wound.

About two years ago the second growth factor product, Regranex, hit the market. Regranex comes in a little tube (a $300 tube!) and is applied to the wound once a day. With Regranex or Procuren, wounds seem to heal 10% faster and 10% of otherwise non-healing wounds will now heal. For many people these products have been a lifesaver.

Three months ago a third product, Oasis, made its way to the market. Oasis is derived from what the package insert politely calls porcine gastrointestinal submucosa. To you and me that means the lining of pig’s intestines. You already read what Larry calls it. The product is processed to remove all that is pig but leaves a whole “pen” of wound growth factors, actually many more than the earlier products. It comes as a parchment-like sheet that is placed on the wound and stays for up to a week at a time. In my practice I have seen the Oasis product heal several wounds that were not helped with any other methods. This product goes beyond lifesaver; I call it a sole-saver.

If the Oasis doesn’t work I might suggest a try with Apligraf which is a living tissue derived from neonatal foreskins. In a personal e-mail from the manufacturer they assured me that it was from the foreskin of full term infants who volunteered (actually the parents volunteered) to donate the base material.  Apligraf is an actual layer of skin about the size of a silver dollar. It has all the properties of skin. If you cut it with a knife it will heal. Placed on the wound it becomes a skin covering. Special properties allow it to turn into whatever kind of skin it is supposed to represent. Placed on the toe it becomes toe skin. Placed on the bottom of the foot it becomes thick bottom of the foot skin. I had a chance to apply Apligraf at a wound care seminar in Phoenix and I welcome the addition to my wound care tools.

Larry doesn’t know about the Apligraf. If he is a little squeamish about “pig guts” I cannot imagine what he will say when I tell him about baby foreskins. He doesn’t read the Acorn so do me a favor and don’t give him this, er, little tip.

Dr. Michael Zapf is a Board Certified podiatrist with offices in Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks. If you have questions about wound care please call his office at (818) 707-3668.

Send mail to (zfootdoc at doctor dot com) with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2000 Michael A. Zapf, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S., F.A.C.F.AOA.M.
Last modified: July 24, 2010