Meet Kara Ware
Personal story
Kara spent an entire year making excuses for her toddler’s aggression, lack of speech, and extreme behaviors until she could no longer deny the obvious; something was terribly wrong. In December 2005, she was told her son had regressed into Autism, a condition she was entirely unfamiliar with. She was told that there was nothing she could do for her child, and to take him home and medicate him. The medication was meant to silence the frequent tantrums and make her son more manageable, and she had also been instructed to enroll her child in speech therapy. Other than this, all that doctors could tell Kara was to give the child copious amounts of love and ensure his safety.
Kara refused to medicate her two-and-a-half-year-old son as their first intervention, fearful that the medication would cause more harm than good. Kara knew that her child’s behaviors were forms of communication, through which her young boy was trying to convey the immense pain he was enduring. Kara felt hopeless, not knowing how to help her son, and unwilling to silence his communication through pharmaceuticals. Instead of wallowing and listening to the doctors’ previous claims, Kara decided to forge her own path, in what was soon to become known as Functional Medicine.
Kara learned how to layer pieces to a care plan, in an intelligent sequence, to heal the underlying dietary, lifestyle, deficiencies, toxicity, gut pathogens, leaky gut, vision, airway causes of symptom/behaviors referred to as Autism. After 9-years her son emerged from Autism and became an independent student. After 16-years they have successfully maintained Autism remission.
Kara learned the immeasurable value of living this Functional Medicine lifestyle with her son. Today, Kara is in her mid-forties and feeling better than she ever has. Looking back on what she has learned, Kara now credits Autism as a master teacher, forcing her to lead by example.
"You know Kara, I’m absolutely astonished. You are one of the only parents who has ever taken me seriously when I said your child will mirror your habits. You have actually chosen to lead by example. Your entire family has adopted the required lifestyle which allows my medical piece to be successful for your son. And look at the results you have achieved! Remarkable."
Dr. James Biddle, MD Asheville Integrative Medicine
Kara Ware and Dr. Nathan Morris at Integrated Connections- A Functional Medicine-based Autism recovery clinic. 2015
Professional story
In 2002, Kara was recruited to work in a rural West Virginia health care clinic, New River Health, as a Community Health Outreach Worker (CHOW). Today, this profession is now validated in science and called Health Coaching. While figuring out how to heal the root causes of her son’s Autism, she coached patients in exam rooms while they waited for their provider. New River Health had a group coaching event called Help Yourself, through which Kara co-facilitated group coaching sessions. She also created a chair yoga program, Easy Does It Yoga to offer exercise to those living with diabetes, chronic pain, and other diagnoses that limit physical activity. She then created an innovative prescription pad, positioning both programs to become doctor prescribed. Her chair yoga program became so successful that Kara was contracted by Marshall University, allowing her to create training materials and travel throughout the Appalachian region advising more rural health care clinics to implement Help Yourself and Easy Does It Yoga.
In October 2013, Kara opened Integrated Connections, which became affectionately known as ‘The Little Yellow House”. She designed a multi-disciplinary health care clinic, including health coaching appointments, a doctor for medical interventions, structural integration therapies, mHBOT, and an infrared sauna. Her first patients were families with teenagers living with Autism, who had exhausted conventional and alternative therapies. Kara’s unique philosophy was to work first with the parents first. Cranial Sacral, massage, energy work, health coaching, and community outreach programs were provided services to support parents through their healing process. Healing from Autism is readily achieved when the entire family adopts the required diet and lifestyle changes and nurtures a home atmosphere conducive to healing. Kara designed her health care clinic and services based on this Family Care Plan philosophy. Such profound results happened with these children that Dr. Nathan Morris, MD of Good Medicine in Oxford, Ohio heard about the Little Yellow House and asked to be the medical provider.
In May 2016, Kara joined the PureGenomics team.
Today, Kara is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), a Nutrigenomics Coach, Business Advisor, and a Key Opinion Leader for PureEncapsulations. Most recently, Kara has become the Executive Producer and co-host of the podcast, Good Medicine On The Go. For more information, contact Kara.
I saw fewer patients, yet my practice earned more income once I hired Kara as my business advisor and health coach.
Dr. Nathan Morris MD
I have told my husband and colleagues how much Kara is saving me and helping me think through things I would not have otherwise thought of. I honestly can't imagine transitioning into my Functional Medicine practice without Kara. I can't thank her enough. I think she could have an entire business with just transitioning docs.
Dr. Emily Roedersheimer, DO
When Kara and I had a brief discovery call, I was automatically drawn in by her warm nature and professionalism! She was clearly passionate about Coaching and partnering Practitioners with coaches. Impressively, she was able to size up my particular business and practice style in perhaps 10 minutes of conversation!