Knife Down
"Knife Down" is what a surgeon says in the OR when she puts her scalpel down so no one gets hurt — and it’s the mission here: put the knife down, long before anyone needs to use it.
Knife Down is a podcast about how to actually invest in your health so you can live longer, stronger, and with less time in doctors’ offices. The core focus is the world’s leading cause of death—cardiovascular disease—and what to do about it before it shows up as a catastrophe.
Hosted by a vascular surgeon on a mission to put herself out of business, the show translates cutting-edge science on prevention, metabolic health, and longevity into real-world strategies you can use in clinic or at your kitchen table. Expect evidence, nuance, and zero wellness hype—plus the occasional dark joke about the state of modern medicine.
Knife Down
What a Vascular Surgeon REALLY Does (And How to Never Need One) | Lily Johnston, MD
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What does a vascular surgeon really do?
Most people think it’s all about legs. It’s not. Your vascular system reaches every organ — your heart, brain, kidneys, gut...and even lower 🍆... — and when blood flow goes wrong, everything goes wrong with it.
In this video, I break down:
✅ What vascular surgeons actually treat (PAD, aneurysms, carotid disease, clots, strokes, ulcers, amputations)
✅ Why these problems are often preventable
✅ The common risk factors: diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol
✅ The overlooked risk factors: inflammation, insulin resistance, hormones, genetics, lifestyle patterns
✅ How to lower your risk and protect your arteries long-term
If you want to avoid heart attacks, strokes, amputations, kidney failure — and aging into disability — your arteries are where it starts. Prevention isn’t flashy, but it saves lives, limbs, and independence.
As a vascular surgeon turned prevention specialist, I’ll show you how to think about your risk, what tests matter, and how to take control before disease takes control of you. Because it's never a good day if you urgently need my surgical services.
___________________________
🧬 About Dr. Lily Johnston
Dr. Johnston is a double board-certified vascular and general surgeon in San Diego, specializing in metabolic and cardiovascular prevention. She’s the founder of CorSight Health and a passionate advocate for reimagining how medicine approaches chronic disease.
#MetabolicHealth #CardiovascularPrevention #HeartHealth #Longevity #InsulinResistance #DrLilyJohnston #DrLily #WomenInMedicine #PreventiveMedicine #PADPrevention #HeartAttackRisks #stroke #erectiledysfunction #HealthPortfolio #surgeon #vascularsurgery #California #SanDiego #Arizona #Virginia #Minnesota