Sparks & Favor PC

You’ve been bombarded 24/7 with advice about how to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 illness. Some of it comes from medical sources, but much of it comes from individuals with no medical background nor even good research to back up their claims.

For our patients, we want to recommend one of the most important ingredients of wellness—common sense. In most cases, you can rely on your own good judgment to decide how much protection is necessary.
How Masks Reduce COVID-19 Risk
The question of what protection you would want to wear when you…

For our patients, we want to update our previous guidance about testing. UAB is now offering COVID-19 testing at a drive-thru site, by appointment only.
To use this testing site, you must have symptoms of COVID-19 infection and first be screened by telephone. (205-975-1881). The following is a summary of our current guidance about who should be tested.

As COVID-19 testing has expanded in the greater-Birmingham area, many individuals are still uncertain about whether testing would benefit them and their family members. The confusion is understandable considering the amount of press commentary about…

…we are blessed to share moments of great joy with women and their families.
This beautiful piece turned up in one of our social media mailboxes today. New York Times “Well” writer Tara Parker-Pope reflects on the good in our lives. We hope you will find something calming in her words.
March 18, 2020

Dear Readers

Every day brings a new question, a new worry, a new fear about the coronavirus pandemic. It’s essential to pay attention to public health advice to practice social distancing and to stay home to limit contact and reduce the spread of infection…

We are seeing patients in our office as usual! We ask you to call our office to reschedule if:

You have symptoms of a flu-like illness (fever, cough, etc.)
You have traveled outside of the U.S. within the last 14 days
You have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 infection or symptoms of a flu-like illness, or has traveled outside the country within the last 14 days

If you do not belong to one of the above groups, we are very happy to see you as usual.
For any OB patient who may fit…

I would like to share with my patients that I will be taking a short leave of absence from my practice beginning later this week. I have received an abnormal result on a recent mammogram, and surgery will be necessary. I feel very fortunate that, in this case, the good routine medical care I recommend to women each day has allowed me to receive early treatment, and I look forward to returning to my full schedule in a few weeks.

I regret this inconvenience to my patients, but I confidently place your care needs in the hands of my partners…

URGENT?
MEDICALLY NECESSARY, BUT NOT URGENT?
ONE OF SEVERAL OPTIONS?
UNNECESSARY?

By age 60, about 1/3 of American women will have had a hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus (womb), in order to treat a gynecologic problem. We suggest surgery to our patients when it offers health or quality of life benefits that outweigh the risks of having surgery. On the other hand, a woman herself will sometimes tell her doctor that she is ready to consider a hysterectomy when the doctor has not recommended it.

In either situation, the decision to have surgery requires…

Did you know that HEART DISEASE IS THE #1 KILLER OF AMERICAN WOMEN?
Yes, it’s true. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease takes more women than all cancers combined. Yet surveys show that only about half of you are aware of that fact. February is American Heart Month.
THE GENDER GAP IN HEART ATTACK DEATHS
The risk of death after a heart attack is higher in women than men.
Medical research has not been clear about why this occurs. Women are likely to be older than men when they suffer a first heart attack because estrogen…

Few of our expectant moms have missed the message that breastfeeding has many benefits. But, while we continue educating expectant and new mothers about how good it is for baby, we don’t want to overwhelm them with the idea that breastfeeding—because it is natural—should always be easy to do. Some well-meaning breastfeeding advocates cite higher breastfeeding rates in third-world countries. Such statistics suggest that successful breastfeeding happens naturally in cultures where breastfeeding is the norm, and it happens despite inadequate healthcare and education for women.

Many suppose that, in developing countries like Botswana where I…

Among our favorite New Year’s resolutions are those related to a healthier lifestyle.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that obesity, tobacco use, and lack of physical activity together cause approximately one-third of all deaths. You can probably guess that my thirty-something years of caring for women when they are healthy and when their health is in jeopardy have not given me the magic key to solving these problems. But as the new year begins, I would like to share a few thoughts…