The Scoop: Cara Care is a free app with self-tests, diagnostics, and tracking tools to help individuals, couples, and families dealing with digestive health issues. Cara Care is able to virtually connect people with registered dietitians, further strengthening its personalised care offering. With its doctor-approved recommendations, Cara Care can help people do a much-needed gut check and start a dialogue about their health needs and goals.
One of my friends has experienced digestive health issues since high school. Sometimes the queasiness would get so bad that she’d have to bail in the middle of plans with her friends.
At that time, she didn’t talk openly about what was going on with her health, so her then-boyfriend (now her husband) always kept up the pretense that he was the party pooper. He would come up with outlandish or cryptic excuses about why they had to leave early.
Cara Care helps patients log and track their diet, stress, stool, and IBS symptoms.
“I thought this was a Batman movie,” he whispered as they left a Marvel movie premiere. “We’re going home to watch ‘Dark Knight.'”
Singles or couples struggling with digestive health issues may sometimes feel isolated or embarrassed, but there are resources out there to help them. The Cara Care app was designed specifically to provide digital therapeutics and nutritional guidance to anyone hoping to improve their gut health.
Cara is an Irish word for “friend,” and that’s exactly what the app aims to be for those with digestive disorders. The app is a private journal, support system, and constant companion for individuals who have complicated relationships with food and mealtimes.
“Too many of us suffer from gastrointestinal disorders. More than 91 million U.S. citizens suffer from IBS, GERD, or IBD,” according to the Cara Care app team. “These disorders can impact us physically, emotionally, and financially, affecting our quality of life.”
Medical Professionals Created a Holistic Resource for Patients
Jesaja Brinkmann and Dr. André Sommer created Cara Care because they saw patients struggling to understand their illness and track their symptoms, and they wanted to help on a more holistic level.
André brought both entrepreneurial experience and medical expertise to the venture, and he is primarily responsible for the business strategy behind Cara Care. Meanwhile Jesaja has a background in digital health, and he used his familiarity with new technologies to research and develop a digital health monitor and educational resource for patients all around the world.
What began as a what-if project in 2015 has grown and flourished into a nutritional care app that now reaches thousands of people. The 33-person team includes nutritionists, psychologists, medical doctors, biologists, tech engineers, and other professionals interested in developing more holistic and tech-savvy health care resources.
In addition to its symptom tracker and medical log, Cara Care offers free consultations with a dietitian.
Cara Care’s headquarters are in Berlin, and its culturally diverse team works toward a common goal to make a holistic and helpful app available to people with digestive health issues. Since its launch a few years ago, the app has received many positive reviews and testimonials.
“Very nice and helpful team. Messages are answered in the shortest possible time and in detail,” said a user named Lily F. “The structure of the app is designed meaningfully. There are a large number of existing tracking categories (such as food, medicines, etc.). These can always be individualized.”
“Finally someone cares about my complaints,” Tim said. “I’ve been running from doctor to doctor, and for the first time, I have the feeling that someone 100% cares about my symptoms.”
The Daily Journal Tracks Nutritional Intake & Symptoms
Cara Care offers a tracking tool with which users can monitor their stress levels, nutritional intake, stool, nausea, exercise regimen, and other health factors. The tracking tool can help them find links between their digestive symptoms and their diet.
The app can help people identify potential food triggers and look for signs of improvement over time. It’s graphs can be useful in discussions with a doctor or when planning meals with a partner because it clearly shows when symptoms occurred.
The Cara Care app recommends a self-paced 12-day action plan for the low FODMAP IBS diet, including personal consultation with registered dietitians. Its science-backed tips on managing digestive problems can give individuals the knowledge, tools, and confidence to plan healthier meals.
Anyone experiencing chronic stomach issues can take the free IBS test to see if their symptoms match those of irritable bowel syndrome. This questionnaire is not the same as a medical diagnosis, but it can be a good indicator of how serious the problem is and what should be done about it.
From suggesting gluten-free recipes to providing a chat window with a dietitian, the Cara Care app supports users looking to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
The dashboard shows daily fluctuations in stress, sleeping, bloating, nausea, and other health factors.
The Cara Care app’s dietitians, nutritionists, and health experts bring over 5,000 hours of combined nutritional counseling experience to the table and have created a medically sound action plan to help people manage a digestive health issue and mitigate their symptoms.
Cara Care looks out for the well-being of people with all types of digestive health issues, including IBS, IBD, ulcerative colitis, GERD, and Crohn’s disease. The app’s team is currently working on creating more tailored programs to offer guidance for these disorders, and it is also interested in adding more constructive coaching features that focus on meditation, mental health, and yoga.
This holistic digital program works great for singles and couples who want to focus on their health and live with less pain and discomfort.
Cara Care Supports People With Gut Health Challenges
When a person falls sick, it’s a comfort to them to see that someone cares and has their back. During high school, my friend appreciated her boyfriend’s willingness to play the bad guy and keep her secret, and his support helped her get through many painful days and nights.
Digestive health issues can impact both partners in a relationship because so many social outings, romantic dates, and holidays center around food. Couples can tackle this issue together by getting help and looking to resources such as the Cara Care app.
The Cara Care app has created a forum where individuals can get to know their gut better and start planning a healthy nutrition plan that keeps the nausea and pain at bay.
“Digestive health issues are a very sensitive topic filled with a lot of shame,” said Mirna Funk, Director of Communications at Cara Care. “We want to empower our users to individually deal with their issues and talk about them openly — especially with their partner.”
