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.
Episodes
58 episodes
What a Vascular Surgeon Eats—and the Artery Test I’m Repeating
In this comment-response episode, I break down what I eat in a typical day as a vascular surgeon focused on cardiometabolic prevention. I also discuss the reliability of CIMT testing, why I plan to repeat my own scan, and what first drew me to ...
My Arteries Got Older?! A Vascular Surgeon Explains CIMT Results
My CIMT results came back—and one number moved in the wrong direction. In this video, I walk through my own carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) scan, explain arterial age, plaque burden, IMT progression, and measurement variability, and talk ...
What Really Causes Heart Disease: LDL or Inflammation?
In this video, Dr. Lily Johnston addresses viewer questions about lipid panels, heart disease risk, and diagnostic testing. Key topics include:Coronary Calcium Scans vs. CCTA/CIMT: Why calcium scores may not be sufficient for younger pa...
This Changes How I Think About Creatine
Can a simple 5g scoop of creatine do more than just build muscle? In today’s video, I’m reacting to Thomas DeLauer’s insights on how creatine might “spare” your body’s methylation cycle—and then diving deep into the actual clinical data to see ...
High LDL. Normal ApoB. Now What??
What do you do when your "bad cholesterol" (LDL) flags high, but your other metabolic markers look great? In this video, I’m sharing my personal lab results to explain why standard lipid panels only tell part of the story.We’ll dive dee...
The 10 Blood Tests I Run to Catch Heart Disease DECADES Early
After I walked through my own labs last week, you had sharp follow-ups — Vascepa versus a mixed omega-3, why my lab screenshots had no reference ranges, which lab company I actually use — so the first half is me answering them. Then I count dow...
I Checked My Own Labs: Here’s Exactly How I Read Them
How to read your blood test results — from a vascular surgeon using her own bloodwork. I go line by line through the complete blood count (CBC), fasting glucose and insulin, kidney and liver panels, thyroid, inflammation (hs-CRP), ferritin, and...
Carnivore Bloodwork: Best Case, Not the Whole Case
Dr. Abs pulled bloodwork from 50 of his carnivore patients — cholesterol up, triglycerides down, A1C and CRP better across the board. It's a genuinely good data set. It's also the best-case scenario, not the average one.I'm reacting to ...
Cholesterol Balance & Keto Bias
Chapters: 00:00 The Replication Crisis & Messy Science 02:11 Why the KETO-CTA Study Was Retracted 03:25 Mediterranean Keto vs. Standard Keto 06:14 Cholesterol Balance: Absorption vs. Production 1...
Surgeon Reacts to the KETO-CTA 'Scandal'
The KETO-CTA trial got retracted this year, and most of the internet treated it like a takedown. The authors pulled their own paper because they found real errors in the analysis. That took integrity. I react to how other creators have covered ...
Carnivore Bloodwork: Best Case, Not the Whole Case
Dr. Abs pulled bloodwork from 50 of his carnivore patients — cholesterol up, triglycerides down, A1C and CRP better across the board. It's a genuinely good data set. It's also the best-case scenario, not the average one.I'm reacting to ...
Do Viagra and Cialis Help You Live Longer? What This Study Actually Found
Chapters:00:00 - Introduction & AMA Catch-up 00:28 - Does Fibromyalgia Affect Heart Health? 01:43 - Advanced Markers for Inflammation (hsCRP, oxLDL) 03:04 - Upcoming LIVE AMA Details 03:48 - Is it Saf...
AMA #3: When Can You Actually Stop a Statin? Plus Plaque, Lp(a), Sleep Apnea & Heart Scans
Two hours, your questions, and no script. You brought the good stuff: when it's actually safe to come off a statin, whether the enzyme supplements are worth it, what sleep apnea does to your arteries, how I build and read a full lab panel, and ...
Cholesterol Balance & Keto Bias
Chapters: 00:00 The Replication Crisis & Messy Science 02:11 Why the KETO-CTA Study Was Retracted 03:25 Mediterranean Keto vs. Standard Keto 06:14 Cholesterol Balance: Absorption vs. Production 1...
Try THIS instead of Nattokinase (Surgeon Explains)
The nattokinase video clearly hit a nerve. Your comments were sharp, occasionally feisty, and worth a real answer. So this is the follow-up Q&A: natto the food versus nattokinase the isolated capsule, whether CIMT is a test I actually trust...
I Stopped Using Nattokinase. Here’s Why.
Nattokinase is one of the most hyped supplements in cardiovascular health — claimed to lower blood pressure, shrink arterial plaque by 36%, and drop LDL cholesterol without a statin. I put a patient on it. Then I looked closer at the data. Now ...
Can You Take Too Much Vitamin K2? Vascular Surgeon Explains
Can you take too much vitamin K2? In this video, I answer the most common follow-up questions about vitamin K2, including dose, safety, testing, interactions, and whether more is actually better.Here's the original video on the K2 clini...
Vitamin K Slows Coronary Calcium: NEW Netherlands Study
Can vitamin K2 slow coronary artery calcium? A new JAMA Cardiology randomized trial found that MK-7 may reduce CAC progression over 2 years — but the real story is more complicated.TL;DR: In this randomized trial, people with symptomati...
Surgery for Alzheimer's...Is It Real? (and other questions)
In this Q&A session, Dr. Lily Johnston dives into complex viewer questions regarding cardiovascular health and emerging medical research. She covers the impact of hormone therapies on LP(a), the nuances of managing cholesterol after a heart...
99% of heart attacks had a warning. Your doctor called it "normal."
Can you have a heart attack with “normal” labs and no warning signs? Or are we missing the warning signs because our thresholds are too late and our prevention model is too reactive?Today I react to a fascinating video from
Can THIS Supplement Prevent Heart Disease? Surgeon Reacts to Dr Boz
Are omega-3s really the #1 supplement for heart disease prevention? In this reaction to Dr. Boz, I break down the nuance: atrial fibrillation risk, rancid oils, DHA vs EPA, heavy metal testing, delivery forms, omega level testing, and why small...
AMA #2: Why a 'Perfect' LDL Won't Save You--Plaque, Statins & Metabolic Health
A live, unfiltered Ask Me Anything on preventive cardiology and metabolic health — recorded on about three hours of sleep after a night in the OR, which tends to make me a little more candid than usual.We cover the questions you actuall...
The Biggest Walking Mistake I See: PAD Q&A
Peripheral artery disease Q&A — including one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to “walk off” PAD symptoms.In this video, we break down:• Why erectile dysfunction is actually a sign of vascular disease• What an...
Got APOE4? A Vascular Surgeon’s EXACT Plan to Protect Your Brain
Got APOE4? Here’s the exact prevention strategy I would use to protect my own brain if I carried this gene.In this video, I walk through the major modifiable dementia risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission — and how I would ac...