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• Medical Intern 👩🏻‍⚕️🩺
• Talking bloat, bowel movements & bad gut days
• Healing your gut, not guessing at it
• Celiac•IBD•PCOS girly 🪻🫧
📍Toronto
Booking link: https://linktr.ee/that.gut.girl

05/23/2026

4 years of stress, tears, joy, and loads of lemon balm tea later… and we’ve made it! What a whirlwind this journey has been; it’s been chaotic, exhausting, unforgettable… and honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Thanks to the people that have supported me throughout this crazy journey. I couldn’t have done this without all of you. To the friends that helped made me feel so special and loved.

And a big shoutout to my best friend and biggest support, Keifer. I love you beyond what words can describe. You’re my rock in such a big and crazy storm. Thanks for always supporting me in my dream in becoming Dr. Vasquez.

03/26/2026

My first ever formal at med school!! Wowie!! 🪩🫐🪻🍃🥝🦋

Shout out to for encouraging me to go oop 🥹🪩🫶🏼

03/10/2026

Many people with celiac disease focus on avoiding gluten in food, but what we put on our lips matters too.

Lip products such as lipsticks, balms, and glosses are easily ingested throughout the day. Small amounts are transferred when we eat, drink, lick our lips, or even when the product naturally wears off.

For someone with celiac disease, even trace exposure to gluten can trigger an immune response that damages the small intestine.

Some cosmetic products may contain gluten-derived ingredients such as wheat germ oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein, barley extract, or other wheat derivatives. While the skin itself does not absorb gluten into the bloodstream, products applied to the lips can be accidentally swallowed.

Because of this, many celiac organizations recommend choosing gluten-free labeled lip products to reduce the risk of unintentional exposure.

For individuals with celiac disease, maintaining strict gluten avoidance is essential not only for symptom management, but also for protecting long-term intestinal health and preventing complications such as nutrient deficiencies, bone loss, and increased risk of autoimmune conditions.

Small details like lip products can make a meaningful difference.

03/09/2026

So much of modern medicine exists because of the work of women whose names we don’t hear often enough.

Behind discoveries in genetics, cancer research, immunology, and infectious disease are scientists who spent years asking difficult questions and pushing forward when answers weren’t obvious.

These women represent something powerful.

Happy International Women’s Day.

03/03/2026

We tend to think of friendship as emotional support.

But the data suggests it is much more than that.
Social connection appears to influence inflammatory signalling, cardiovascular risk, and overall survival.
In a study by Friedman et al. (2005), women with lower social integration had significantly higher serum IL-6 levels. They had nearly 2-fold higher odds of elevated IL-6 compared to women with stronger social ties.
IL-6 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine associated with cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia, and increased mortality risk.

Loucks et al. (2006) found similar findings with CRP. Women with lower social integration had significantly higher CRP levels, and those in the lowest quartile of social connection had higher odds of CRP >3 mg/L — a recognized cardiovascular risk threshold.

Mechanistically, social connection appears to buffer stress biology. Supportive relationships reduce HPA-axis activation, modulate cortisol, improve autonomic balance, and are associated with lower inflammatory gene expression.
Chronic inflammation is a driver of cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and accelerated aging.

Which means this isn’t just about feeling connected.
It’s about regulating biology.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0509281102

10.1080/10926771.2011.562478

03/01/2026

Your gastrointestinal (GI) tract responds to what you feed your microbes.

When you nourish your gut microbiome with the foods it thrives on, you help create a healthy gut environment and a more supportive immune system.

In a randomized controlled trial published in Cell (Wastyk et al., 2021), participants who increased fermented food intake over 10 weeks experienced a significant increase in gut microbiome diversity. Around 19 inflammatory markers decreased, including IL-6 and multiple immune signaling pathways involved in chronic inflammation.

The high-fiber group (that did not consume fermented foods) in the same study did not show the same increase in microbiome diversity during that timeframe.

Why does this matter for gut health and immune health?

Your gut microbiome directly regulates immune function. Research shows gut bacteria influence T-cell development, cytokine production, systemic inflammation, and overall immune balance. Lower microbial diversity, which is often associated with an American-style diet high in ultra-processed foods, is linked with autoimmune disease, metabolic dysfunction, and chronic inflammatory conditions. Greater microbiome diversity is associated with stronger immune regulation and resilience to chronic disease.

In the study, participants gradually increased to about 6 servings of fermented foods per day (½ cup yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, cottage cheese, or kombucha counted as one serving). Intake was increased slowly over 4 weeks and maintained for 6 more.

For most people, 1–3 servings per day is a realistic starting point. This typically means incorporating 1 & 1/2 cups of fermented foods daily.

Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

References
Wastyk HC et al. Cell. 2021;184(16):4137–4153.e14. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.019
Belkaid Y & Hand TW. Cell. 2014;157(1):121–141. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.03.011
Zmora N et al. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019;16:35–56. doi:10.1038/s41575-019-0193-8
Lloyd-Price J et al. Genome Med. 2016;8:51. doi:10.1186/s13073-016-0307-y

02/27/2026

Learning is a gift l've grown deeply grateful for. And, what better way to remind myself and others by using the audio of the lovely,
Who has inspired millions now with her mindset that has lead her to success.
This year, I set the goal of pushing myself to embrace my
"failures" and become excited at the idea of change; regardless of how comfortable I am right now. And to be completely transparent, I have been very excited to participate with this goal, but have found it incredibly hard at times.
Alysa's interview on her Olympic performance has gone viral and for good reason. Let's go through it:
* Studies led by cognitive neuroscientist Jason Moser found that when individuals view mistakes as opportunities to learn, their brains show stronger activation in regions responsible for attention and correction.
* This means they process errors more effectively and adjust their behaviour more successfully. Avoiding failure, on the other hand, reduces this learning response.
* Another important piece of this conversation is self-compassion. Research by Kristin Neff shows that treating ourselves with kindness after failure does not reduce motivation. In fact, it improves it.
* Psychologist Carol Dweck has spent decades studying what she calls a "growth mindset." Her research shows that people who believe abilities can be developed.
* In studies of students and adults, those with a growth mindset demonstrated greater persistence, improved performance over time, and stronger resilience after making mistakes. In other words, embracing failure as part of the learning process actually improves outcomes

02/24/2026

Early-onset colore**al cancer (diagnosed under age 50) has been steadily increasing in countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and parts of Europe. Large epidemiological analyses led by researchers at the American Cancer Society show that individuals born after 1980 have approximately double the risk of colon cancer and up to four times the risk of re**al cancer compared to those born around 1950 at the same age.

Yes, inherited conditions such as Lynch syndrome contribute to some cases.
But the majority of early-onset cases are sporadic. Genetics alone does not explain this shift.

So what changed?

Research consistently links early-onset colore**al cancer with:

• Higher intake of ultra-processed foods
• Low dietary fiber intake
• Increased red and processed meat consumption
• Sedentary behavior
• Obesity and metabolic dysfunction

These factors influence insulin signaling, chronic inflammation, bile acid metabolism, and the gut microbiome. They all directly impact colon cell proliferation and DNA stability.

What can you take away from these lifestyle habits that increase the risk of colon cancer? Well, having these habits lifelong cause long-term shifts in the gut environment may increase vulnerability over time.

The encouraging part?
Prevention research is remarkably consistent. YES!

1. Higher fiber intake increases production of short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate, which supports colonocyte energy metabolism, improves epithelial barrier integrity, and reduces inflammatory signaling.

2. Regular physical activity improves insulin sensitivity and lowers circulating growth-promoting signals like IGF-1.

3. Maintaining metabolic health reduces hyperinsulinemia and chronic inflammatory cascades associated with tumor progression.

4. Diverse plant intake increases microbial diversity: a protective factor across multiple studies.

6. Limiting processed meats and excess alcohol further reduces exposure to carcinogenic compounds such as N-nitroso compounds and acetaldehyde.

02/21/2026

Things about your menstrual cycle you probably were not taught in high school:

1. While you’re bleeding, your body is already starting over.
Estrogen and progesterone drop, which triggers your bleed.
At the exact same time, your brain sends out FSH to start maturing new follicles in your ovaries.

Yes. You are building the next egg while on your period.

2. Your cycle is actually two cycles happening together The uterine cycle (what your uterus is doing) The ovarian cycle (what your ovaries are doing)

3. Around mid-cycle, estrogen rises and thickens your uterine lining. Then it peaks. That peak triggers a surge in LH, which tells your o***y to release an egg.

4. Ovulation is not a week.
It’s a 12 to 24 hour event.

5. After ovulation, progesterone takes over. It stabilizes the uterine lining and prepares your body for pregnancy. If pregnancy doesn’t happen, progesterone drops… and your next period begins.

6. Your mood shifts, cravings, bloating and energy all shift because of decreased or a sudden drop in progesterone

7. While you’re on your period, your ovaries are already getting ready for ovulation.
FSH rises, multiple follicles start developing, and one becomes dominant, producing estrogen as it matures.

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Toronto, ON

Website

http://linktr.ee/that.gut.girl

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