Knife Down

Епизоди

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  High LDL, Rapid Plaque Progression?! Dave @FeldmanProtocol & I Debate the Data 11.09.2026 1ч 24мин

  Dave Feldman came into my studio and we went through Simon Hill's critique of the KETO-CTA data one clip at a time — high LDL, "rapid plaque progression," the retracted paper, the new preprint. We disagree, and we do it honestly. At the center is the new KETO-CTA preprint: 100 lean mass hyper-responders, two coronary scans a year apart, and a real fight over what the numbers mean. Why the first paper was retracted, the measurement "noise floor" that makes one-year plaque data so slippery, wh...
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  What a Vascular Surgeon Eats—and the Artery Test I’m Repeating 09.09.2026 15мин

  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 preventive health. More on CIMT—and a conversation with the CardioRisk CEO—coming soon. For educational purposes only; this is not individualized medical advice. Pre-Order my book Disconnected here: https://www.amazon.com/Disconnected-Surgeons-Search-H...
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  My Arteries Got Older?! A Vascular Surgeon Explains CIMT Results 07.09.2026 22мин

  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 about what a “worse” CIMT result actually means. If you’ve had a CIMT test or are considering one for cardiovascular risk assessment, this is a practical look at how to interpret the report without letting one scary-looking number hijack the whole stor...
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  What Really Causes Heart Disease: LDL or Inflammation? 29.08.2026 19мин

  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 patients and the benefits of soft plaque detection. Exercise and Lipids: Clarifying that while exercise is vital for longevity, its impact on LDL-C numbers is often minimal. MRI vs. CT for Plaque: Why MRI is generally not the preferred tool for assessing arteri...
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  This Changes How I Think About Creatine 26.08.2026 34мин

  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 if it really lowers homocysteine. As a vascular surgeon, I’m always looking for ways to reduce cardiovascular risk. We know that high homocysteine is a major red flag for heart attack and stroke, but the evidence for using creatine to fix it is surpris...
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  High LDL. Normal ApoB. Now What?? 24.08.2026 27мин

  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 deep into the world of lipoproteins, exploring why ApoB is a more precise measure of cardiovascular risk than LDL-C alone. Using a highway analogy, I’ll show you why the number of "cars on the road" (particles) matters far more for plaque formation than the "car...
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  The 10 Blood Tests I Run to Catch Heart Disease DECADES Early 22.08.2026 13мин

  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 down my real top 10 tests for catching cardiovascular disease early, from hemoglobin A1c at number 10 up to my number one, which isn't a blood test at all. Watch the countdown and let me know in the comments how many you've already had! ⏱️ CHAPTERS ...
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  I Checked My Own Labs: Here’s Exactly How I Read Them 19.08.2026 29мин

  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 a lipid panel that's getting its own video. This is exactly how I read labs for my metabolic patients, with all my own numbers on screen: the good, the bad, and a couple that genuinely disappointed me. Along the way: why my hs-CRP finally dropped unde...
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  Carnivore Bloodwork: Best Case, Not the Whole Case 17.08.2026 39мин

  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 walk through what those numbers actually mean, why cherry-picked wins don't tell you what happens to everyone on this diet, and what two Virta Health trials add to the picture: LDL-C did rise over two years, but it was driven by a shift toward larger, less at...
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  Cholesterol Balance & Keto Bias 15.08.2026 22мин

  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 10:50 The Million-Dollar Question: What Causes Plaque? 13:07 Small Studies & Statistical Manipulation 15:03 Addressing Bias, Personalities, and Grifters 16:56 My Position on ApoB and Personalized Care In this video, I dive into the "spicy" commen...
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  Surgeon Reacts to the KETO-CTA 'Scandal' 23.07.2026 32мин

  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 this retraction, walk through what the errors actually were, and make the case that watching scientists correct themselves in public is what good science looks like. 📚 STUDY DISCUSSED Soto-Mota A, Norwitz NG, Manubolu VS, Kinninger A, Wood TR, Earls J,...
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  Carnivore Bloodwork: Best Case, Not the Whole Case 22.07.2026 39мин

  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 walk through what those numbers actually mean, why cherry-picked wins don't tell you what happens to everyone on this diet, and what two Virta Health trials add to the picture: LDL-C did rise over two years, but it was driven by a shift toward larger, less at...
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  Do Viagra and Cialis Help You Live Longer? What This Study Actually Found 21.07.2026 44мин

  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 Safe to Stop Lipitor for High Cholesterol? 05:23 - The "700 Point Drop" in CAC Score: What is Plaque-X? 07:51 - Testosterone & The FDA Black Box Warning Update 08:33 - Deep Dive: Do Viagra and Cialis Impact Mortality? 09:54 - Study Funding and...
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  AMA #3: When Can You Actually Stop a Statin? Plus Plaque, Lp(a), Sleep Apnea & Heart Scans 20.07.2026 2ч 16мин

  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 which heart-imaging test to get if you can only get one. I answer fast, and I answer honestly — including the parts where the real answer is "we don't know yet." If you want the short version of how I think about metabolic and vascular risk, this is a ...
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  Cholesterol Balance & Keto Bias 16.07.2026 22мин

  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 10:50 The Million-Dollar Question: What Causes Plaque? 13:07 Small Studies & Statistical Manipulation 15:03 Addressing Bias, Personalities, and Grifters 16:56 My Position on ApoB and Personalized Care In this video, I dive into the "spicy" commen...
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  Try THIS instead of Nattokinase (Surgeon Explains) 29.06.2026 31мин

  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, the dosing argument a lot of you raised, and the supplement many of you asked about instead — lumbrokinase. The back half is a proper walk through the one randomized trial testing lumbrokinase for secondary stroke prevention. I go through the design,...
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  I Stopped Using Nattokinase. Here’s Why. 24.06.2026 35мин

  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 I've stopped. In this video, I break down what the evidence actually shows: ✅ Blood pressure: Real, but modest. A 2023 meta-analysis of 6 RCTs found just 3.45 mmHg systolic reduction — roughly half the effect of a low-dose ACE inhibitor. ❌ Plaque red...
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  Can You Take Too Much Vitamin K2? Vascular Surgeon Explains 22.06.2026 15мин

  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 clinical trial: https://youtu.be/ArxAXtzsue4 We’ll cover: * Whether vitamin K2 toxicity is possible * Whether using MK7 to slow coronary artery calcification is desirable * What we know — and do not know — about upper dosing limits * Who should be especially caut...
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  Vitamin K Slows Coronary Calcium: NEW Netherlands Study 17.06.2026 45мин

  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 symptomatic coronary artery disease and CAC scores between 50–400 took either MK-7, a form of vitamin K2, at 360 mcg daily or placebo for 2 years. The MK-7 group had slower progression of coronary artery calcium and calcium mass, with no major safety signal. But this s...
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  Surgery for Alzheimer's...Is It Real? (and other questions) 15.06.2026 31мин

  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 attack, and how to interpret advanced imaging like CIMT and Calcium Scores. The episode concludes with a fascinating look at a novel, experimental microsurgical approach for Alzheimer’s disease being studied in China, which aims to improve the brain's...