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Click the blog link above to scroll back through previous blog posts from all of our physicians on a variety of women's health topics.
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Featured Article
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Episiotomy-
-is it Necessary?
Episiotomy-the small surgical incision made to enlarge the vaginal opening shortly before a baby is delivered-was not a commonly accepted birth procedure until the twentieth century. But by mid-century, over half of vaginal deliveries included an episiotomy. The idea was that making a small incision would reduce the risk of a large spontaneous tear in the tissues surrounding the vagina (the perineum), as the infant's head delivered. By the 1980s, we began to realize that the medical benefits of routine episiotomy were uncertain.
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The medical information provided in this email is for educational purposes only. These pages are not intended to provide medical advice or physician instruction, and it is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your physician prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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| Do Calcium Supplements Cause Heart Disease? |
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A Q&A from Dr. Sparks about new research.
Are you confused about calcium? We can't blame you. In the 1980s, about a fourth of women over 60 were taking calcium supplements. Among their daughters who've now reached this age, over 60% rely on calcium supplements to boost what their diet provides. But in the past few months, health news headlines have led women in all directions about whether to throw away their calcium supplements or buy more.
Read more.
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| From Dr. Favor: A Word About Pancreatic Cancer |
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Reducing your risk for this serious disease.
The pancreas is a small organ behind the stomach. It produces hormones like insulin and enzymes that help digest food. Like other very serious cancers, pancreatic cancer usually doesn't cause noticeable symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage. There is no reliable test to find pancreatic cancer at an early stage. With so little available to fight this disease, you might wonder why, as a women's physician, I am talking about pancreatic cancer.
Read more.
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| Gynecologic Cancers |
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Recognize What's Not Normal for You!
Research tells us that Americans fear cancer more than any other health event, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death. Much of this fear comes from the belief that cancer or cancer death is just a matter of random chance, something we are powerless to prevent. But let's look at the actual facts about gynecologic cancers.
Read more
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A Brief "Thank You"
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To our labor and delivery nurses.
Now and then, most of us think about the people to whom we wish we said "thank you" much more often. For the physicians at Sparks & Favor, it's a long list, but the RNs who care for our patients during labor and delivery surely rank near the top.
Our nurses make an important difference for our patients every day.
Sometimes they anticipate a mom's rising need for comfort measures and offer suggestions early, allowing mom to remain in control of her labor. There are also difficult moments when a nurse's timely recognition of a true obstetric emergency is critical to the well-being of mom and baby.
Read more.
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Our New Patient Portal
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Online access to your care at Sparks & Favor
We have recently given our patient portal a make-over! The portal gives you another way to contact us for appointments, prescription refills, lab results, summaries of your office visits, and billing via secure (HIPAA compliant) online access.
Even if you have used the portal in the past, you will need to re-register for the new portal. If you did not receive an email invitation to do so, you can register at your next office visit. OR, you can find the portal sign-up form on our website. (
Click here
). We offer this service for your convenience. It will not replace our face-to-face care for our patients. You can still reach us by phone for care questions, appointments, billing matters, and urgent after-hours care as you always have. We hope you will find the new portal a helpful way to keep your personal health information organized, in a more user-friendly format!
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Keep us Up-to-Date
To avoid receiving duplicate newsletters (for example, if you have changed your email address), just click on the "unsubscribe" link that appears at the
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We hope you continue to find the articles in our Wellness Newsletter helpful!
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with our Privacy Policy. You can change your email address for our Newsletter database at any time by clicking the "Update Profile/Email Address" link at the bottom of any Newsletter. However, to change the email address that you use for the Patient Portal, you will have to call our office.
Note: You do not have to continue to receive future newsletters to use the portal. But you will receive a newsletter when you first provide or change your email address. If you choose to "unsubscribe," (see above), you will be blocked from receiving future Newsletters at that email address, but you will still have access to the portal.
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Sparks & Favor PC has been providing high-quality care to Birmingham women since 1991. Each of us is a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist. As a group practice, we are able to offer our patients state-of-the-art technologies such as digital mammography, 4D ultrasound, bone density testing, and laboratory testing conveniently within our office. Yet, we are small enough to ensure good communication between you and your physician.
In addition to care in our office, we provide 24/7 care for our obstetric patients and those with urgent gynecologic problems. Only our physicians provide after-hours care, as we do not share call with any other group. We appreciate your confidence in us and hope to participate in your care for many years.
Sincerely,
Your physicians at Sparks & Favor
Sparks & Favor PC
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