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
A Meal to Unclog Arteries? Watch This First (Dr. J Reacts to @LeonidKimMD )
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In this video, I react to a recent post from Dr @LeonidKimMD a physician who shares evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine content here on YouTube. His channel focuses on strategies for health, and this video discusses a meal pattern proposed to support cardiovascular health.
In this reaction, I walk through:
• What claims like “unclogging arteries” usually mean in physiologic terms
• Where diet and lifestyle can meaningfully improve vascular health
• Where expectations sometimes drift beyond what the data can support
My goal here isn’t to criticize or sensationalize, but to add clinical context and nuance—especially for viewers trying to translate online health advice into real-world decisions.
Link to more information on plant sterols:
Dayspring TD. Understanding Sterols. LipidCenter, Inc. Available at: https://www.lipidcenter.com/pdf/Understanding_Sterols.pdf
Key quote: “Unesterified sterols, should they get into an arterial wall macrophage or foam cell are more atherogenic than cholesterol (an esterified sterol) as in their unesterified state, they are very prone to oxidative forces.”
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Sign up for more information on my own practice here: https://corsighthealth.com/
Disclaimer: This video is for education only and is not medical advice. Always talk to your clinician about your individual risk and treatment options.
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🧬 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.
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