MIKE VANCE
"I can’t even begin to express how impressed I am with Dr. Barker. Words just can’t express it! I have seen many doctors and none of them even come close to my experiences with Dr. Barker! Dr. Barker has the bedside manner and patience of an angel. She is unbelievably kind and generous with her time. Dr. Barker is an amazing listener. I value her immensely because she educates, motivates, is spot on with any diagnosis, has great advice, genuinely cares about her patients, follows up to make sure things are going well and will work with you while you reach your personal health goals! The whole time she is there when you need her and she legitimately cares. She makes you feel like a family member! Dr. Barker assisted in my 180 pound weight loss as well as got me on track when I gained back 17 pounds after a particularly stressful time in my life. Her mind body approach and common sense as well as scientific approach is unbelievably helpful. With Dr. Barker you will see yourself get your health to a point where you feel AMAZING both physically and emotionally! I feel so grateful to have met Dr. Barker and to have had the opportunity to get my health back on track under her tutelage!"
Coreen Zaffuto
“This woman has been hands down the best doctor I have ever had. My husband Sal and I were devastated to lose her as our baby doctor but couldn’t be more excited to follow her in a new direction!”
Anonymous
"Dr. Barker is amazing! I thought I had tried everything, but in just about 6 months with Dr. Barker’s help I was down 67 pounds and I’m still losing! I can’t thank her enough!"
Diana Brandt
"Over the past 10 years of my professional life Dr. Barker is in my top 5 physicians. With a heart of gold not only personally but professionally, this blog and her future endeavors in the weight loss field will touch, educate and help many including myself. Thank you for being a brave, selfless woman by putting your story out there!!!"
The first time I remember being aware of my weight was at the tender age of seven after a second-grade physical exam. This realization was the beginning of a life-long journey of fad dieting, excessive exercise, severe weight fluctuations and low self-esteem. It also led to a preoccupation with the human body and the desire to find the “secret” to health and weight control.
After graduating from York College of Pennsylvania, I headed directly to medical school where I earned my DO degree at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. The stress of a new marriage, a new-born baby and the rigors of medical school caused me to gain a tremendous amount of unhealthy weight and to reach my lifetime maximum BMI. Although I also gained a tremendous amount of knowledge of the human body, the secret I was searching for remained a mystery. Surprisingly, obesity management was not a subject taught in medical school.
After family-medicine residency and losing 120 pounds (and still having no answers), my curiosity led me to additional training called a fellowship, where I became a board certified non-surgical bariatrician. While I gained some necessary tools to aid with weight control, I wasn’t convinced I had all the answers as I found my patients’ weight improving, but they were still struggling to maintain their new lower weight. Finally, after seeking one last additional piece of education, I believe the puzzle is complete. Becoming a certified bio-identical hormone specialist solved the mystery and revealed the remaining secrets to true health, weight control, longevity, and most importantly, overall well-being.
It was my God-given desire to seek answers and is now my God-given passion to help others. If you can relate to my story, and are sick and tired of feeling, well, sick and tired, please call or click on the link below today to set-up an appointment. I know I can help you!
My weight loss journey begins like so many other people I know and talk to. I was healthy throughout my childhood and adolescence, staying fit through sports like dance, basketball, and track. When it came time for college, I hit the books and was not hitting the gym. That freshman 15 was more like the freshman 30! This is when I jumped on the weight loss/weight gain roller coaster. You name the exercise program, crash diet, “magic pill”, supplement company, or quick fix and I can probably tell you I’ve tried it. Did some of them work? Sure. However, they were never sustainable, and the weight always crept back on. Over the last 2 years though something changed. I was slowly starting to gain more weight than usual. The problem was, when I would implement my healthy habits, nothing would change. If anything, I would continue to gain even more.
I just blamed myself and thought I wasn’t being strict enough. I even went to some doctors and would hear my blood work was “normal” and I just needed to exercise more and eat less. Sound familiar? When I saw Dr. Barker Booth was opening her practice, Body by Barker, I figured why not see if she can help me. I made an appointment and told her this same story in detail. She immediately felt there was likely a metabolic cause for my continued weight gain. She ordered a full complement of blood work and once the labs came back, I finally had some answers to explain the weight gain, fatigue, cold intolerance, and other symptoms I had been suffering with for years. She was able to diagnose me with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that leads to low thyroid hormone levels which affect the entire body. I was also found to be mildly insulin resistant and deficient in Vitamin D and B12. Although I was diagnosed with a lifelong illness, it was such a feeling of relief to have answers and to finally have found a medical provider who would truly listen to my concerns! Dr. Barker is not only experienced and intelligent when it comes to traditional western medicine, but she also takes the time to educate herself on the most current guidelines and look at holistic approaches to best treat her patients. I am extremely excited to now be joining the practice so I can also help patients with stories like mine! We hope to see you soon at Body by Barker!
Body By Barker was the catalyst that basically saved my life. I was an addict for 12 years, and although I got clean, and have been for 7 years for 6 of those years I couldn't get out of bed, I had zero motivation to live life, my mental health was in the gutter, and I felt and looked terrible. Opiates destroyed my endocrine system along with my mind and body. Body By Barker found my testosterone levels were that of a 90-year-old man, at age 34, I was deficient in vitamin D, and had too much estrogen in my body for a man. After starting my TRT at Body by Barker, my life was transformed in a matter of weeks. My energy levels skyrocketed which allowed me to focus on my physical appearance, my family, my job & my mental health which did a complete 360° as a result & I've never been more confident, happy, and excited about life and the future. I actually started to lose a lot of weight, gained muscle and I'm finally becoming the man I want to be but, one of the best effects from TRT was that I had ZERO drug cravings, they were gone, nonexistent! I felt and still feel like a completely different person, and I owe it all to Body By Barker. If you, a loved one, or a friend is struggling with an addiction or getting back to normal life post addiction please call Body By Barker. I believe we can have a huge impact on the opioid crisis if we include Hormone replacement therapy in the rehabilitation process.