Sparks & Favor PC

Dr. Cameron Askew is a board-certified general surgeon. She cares for patients with a wide range of surgical problems, especially men and women seeking bariatric (weight-loss) surgery. She practices at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center here in Birmingham.

Dr. Askew is a life-long Alabamian. She is a graduate of Florida State University and the University of Alabama School of Medicine (UAB). She completed her general surgery training in the Baptist Health System. She is married with two stepsons, two dogs, and an active role in promoting obesity education; so, she understands her patients’ struggles to prioritize health in…

“Approximately 43% of American women report experiencing sexual problems, with 12% considering this problem to be so bothersome that it leads to personal distress.[1]” My hope is that providing some basic information here will encourage women to speak to their physicians if they are having this experience.

Doctors use the term female sexual dysfunction to refer to a group of problems including lack of interest in sex, pain with sex, and lack of satisfying sexual experience. A woman’s sexual response depends on many physical and psychological factors, so it is often difficult to identify and treat a single…

So…a year has passed since we began using our new 3D mammography unit. If you have not yet had a mammogram with this technology, you may be overdue. Here is a re-run of last year’s post about the advantages of the new machine. Our patients tell us that it’s Smart-Curve compression surface is indeed more comfortable! Breast Cancer Awareness Month reminds us to ask ourselves “When was my last mammogram.” (If you can’t remember, call us. We’ll check.)

Most of our patients (beyond that “certain age”), have met Mrs. Charlene Aitken, Sparks &amp…

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We would like to notify our patients that Dr. Cynthia Brown has left Sparks & Favor to begin another chapter in her career. Dr. Brown will be joining the medical staff at Medical West in Bessemer, Alabama, beginning October 1, 2019. We are proud of her dedication to community practice and her desire to broaden her contribution to the health needs of Birmingham women. With sincere gratitude for her service to our practice and to the care of our patients over the past twenty-three years, her colleagues here at Sparks & Favor and our staff wish her well in…

Cord Blood Donation in Birmingham
Your physicians at Sparks & Favor have prepared the following information to help our expectant families understand the potential benefits and possible consequences of cord blood donation. We neither recommend nor discourage this. We want our patients to base their choice on the principles of informed consent. However, we do not consider the arrival at the hospital for the birth of your baby to be the ideal time to first hear about or begin considering this option.

Our practice does not receive financial compensation for your donation to a public bank. If you choose a…

The top nutrition/diet concerns we hear from you at your well-woman visits include weight management and bone health (calcium and vitamin D). Occasionally we answer questions about dietary or weight loss supplements. We usually recommend that the best source of the nutrients you need each day is a well-balanced diet! (Read Dr. Stradtman’s past blog about dietary supplements).

We realize, however, that a woman’s typical diet—even when she tries to eat well—may not be meeting the special nutritional needs she has at certain times in her life. Besides calcium and vitamin D (discussed…

As measles outbreaks continue to occur in several states—the most in 25 years—patients have begun to ask me whether they are protected or whether they should receive another vaccination.

Public health officials are appropriately concerned. Up to 95% of persons who are exposed to the virus will become sick with measles if they have no immunity. Experts consider measles one of the most contagious of all infectious diseases. Health officials have traced several recent cases to Disney theme parks in Florida and California where international visitors from countries with low vaccination rates mix in crowded facilities. And this…

Because of the high prevalence of genital herpes among adult women, all women should have some understanding of this illness.  Estimates indicate about 1 in 5 adult women have genital herpes. At least half of those who are infected have no symptoms and are completely unaware that they carry this virus. While contacting the virus has little impact on many women, a first outbreak can cause significant illness for some. Recurrent episodes may be painful and stressful. The infection is contagious, and can be a serious and sometimes fatal illness in a newborn.

For these reasons, having some basic facts…