Dr. John Osborne | ClearCardio

Welcome to ClearCardio's Prevention is Power podcast, where we expose the truths behind heart disease and show you how to take control of your health before it's too late. In this fascinating live episode, we bring you an unprecedented look at a real patient consultation as Dr. John Osborne reveals Jamie Gruber's cardiac CT results in real-time. Jamie flew from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, for ClearCardio's advanced cardiac screening at age 46.

Despite following a strict carnivore diet with an LDL cholesterol of 209, Jamie's results reveal minimal plaque burden (29.2 cubic millimeters total, Stage 1), proving you cannot predict heart disease from cholesterol levels alone. Dr. Osborne demonstrates AI technology that detects plaque down to a tenth of a cubic millimeter and destroys the "blockage obsession" dominating cardiology for decades. This episode reveals why $3,000 stents don't save lives and why NIH studies show no difference in outcomes between medical therapy alone versus therapy plus mechanical interventions.

"We in cardiology have for literally decades worshiped at the altar of blockages. It's wrong. It's absolutely wrong. What actually predicts mortality is total whole heart plaque volume, not blockages." — Dr. John Osborne

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Key Takeaways from This Episode:

• LIVE CASE STUDY: Jamie's results showed only 29.2 cubic millimeters of plaque (Stage 1) despite LDL cholesterol of 209, proving high cholesterol doesn't automatically mean significant heart disease.

• REVOLUTIONARY PRECISION: AI can quantify plaque down to a tenth of a cubic millimeter—like slicing a period into 10 pieces—analyzing millions of pixels across 2,000 shades of gray invisible to human eyes.

• BLOCKAGE MYTH DESTROYED: Four major NIH-funded studies spanning 30 years (1990s-2019) consistently showed NO difference in heart attack rates or cardiovascular death between optimal medical therapy alone versus therapy plus stents/bypass surgery.

• THE REAL CULPRIT: Total whole heart plaque volume—not blockages—predicts cardiovascular mortality. Stents are $3,000 "quality of life" tools like knee replacements, not life-saving interventions.

• PLAQUE STAGING SYSTEM: Stage 1 (0-250 cubic millimeters), Stage 2 (250-750), Stage 3 (750+). One-third of asymptomatic ClearCardio patients are Stage 3 with no symptoms.

• EARLY DETECTION ADVANTAGE: Plaque forms in the vessel wall (the "donut") and expands outward for decades before affecting the channel. Traditional testing only detects 70%+ blockages—far too late for prevention.

• CARNIVORE DIET RESULTS: Jamie's strict carnivore diet (eggs and ribeye only) produced high LDL but excellent HDL and very low triglycerides, with minimal plaque accumulation over 46 years.

• STRESS TEST FUTILITY: 10 million stress tests performed annually in the US ($500-$5,000 each) can only detect severe blockages and have 25-40% false positive rates, leading to unnecessary $20,000 heart catheterizations.

• PLAQUE TYPES MATTER: "Lava" plaque (soft, lipid-rich) is dangerous and active; calcified plaque is like an "extinct volcano"—stable and inactive. AI can differentiate between types.

• FOLLOW-UP PROTOCOL: Stage 1 patients rescan in 3 years, Stage 2 in 2 years, Stage 3 in 1 year. This allows precise tracking of plaque progression or regression over time.

Resources Mentioned:

• ClearCardio Advanced Cardiac CT with AI Analysis: clearcardio.com

• NIH Studies: Courage Trial (2008), Ischemia Trial (2019)

• Understanding Plaque Staging and Progression

• Carnivore Diet and Cardiac Health Research

• Calcium Score vs. Comprehensive Cardiac CT Comparison

• Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Information