Near Death Experiences and Reanimation: Scientific “Proof” of Life After Death?

A “tunnel”, “bright light”, or lives “flashing” before their lives… many who have faced death report incidents of near death experiences (NDE); some even claim to have an out of body experience where they were “floating” above their bodies, watching their doctors fight to revive their dying bodies.

On one hand, some individuals claim that this is proof of a life after death.

On the other hand, skeptics claim that NDEs do not exist and are physiological and psychological reactions to intolerable stress and pain, or hallucinations brought on by a dying and failing brain.

But what if there was scientific evidence to prove or disprove either of these viewpoints?

Today, I stumbled upon an article titled “German Scientists Prove There is Life After Death” written by World News Daily Report, citing and summarizing a recent study conducted in 2014 at Technische Universität of Berlin by a team of researchers led by Doctor Berthold Ackermann.

The study claimed to have medically induced and supervised NDE in944 volunteers for a time period of four years, using epinephrine and dimethyltryptamine to allow the body to survive clinical death and reanimation without damage. Various other drugs were used to place the individuals in a comatose state, from which they were “reanimated” from approximately 18 minutes later.

A cardiopulmonary recitation (CPR) machine called the AutoPulse was used to reanimate people who had been declared clincally dead anytime from 40 to 60 minutes.

Participants reported feelings of detachment from the body, overwhelming light, levitation, securiy, sereniy, warmth, and “absolute dissolution”. 

As soon as I read the lines about an “induced” comatose state, I knew there was something wrong with this supposedly “scientific” study.

Before I explain my reasons for being skeptical, I’ll show you the disclaimer written on the “news” website that this article was initially published on.

“World News Daily Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real ormostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within worldnewsdailyreport.com are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental, except for all references to politicians and/or celebrities, in which case they are based on real people, but still based almost entirely in fiction.”

If this isn’t convincing enough for you that the article is fake, let me explain some reasons why you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet, especially this article:

1. Ethical Issues: I cannot think of one institutional review board (IRB) at any university that would grant funding and permission to conduct an experiment that placed its participants in a drug-induced state of clinical death– even if only for 18 minutes.
2. Dr. Berthold Ackermann: The non-existent doctor that was the head researcher of the university. One google search shows that all the proof for the existant Dr. Ackermann are from World News Daily Report or other websites that have shared or summarized the article.
3. Population Sample: Would you volunteer for a study that claimed to be able to kill you and bring you back to life, just to record the memories that you had of the event when you were supposedly brought back to life?
4. Immeasurable Variables: There is no statistical data to prove or disprove the existence of an afterlife in this study. The fundamental parts of a scientific experiment (independent and dependent variables, control group, hypothesis…) were not present, and even if this experiment was real, correlation does not prove causation. Also, there are many ways to die– not just from the usage of drugs, which could also have affected the outcomes.
5. Publication: Where was this scientific study published? There are no citations for a scientific journal that the study was supposedly published in, and no specific details stating the statistics for the experiment (with the exception of the number of participants and the length of the study– four years!)

Despite the (very) fictional nature of this article, NDE is a widely reported phenomenon worldwide.

However, due to the very subjective and unpredictable nature of NDEs, it is very difficult to establish any scientific evidence– especially through an experiment that claims to kill its participants and bring them back to life.

So don’t believe everything you read– question the validity of scientific findings, and don’t take everything at face value.

Think about the research procedures, the validity of the experiment, and most importantly: the source of the information.http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/nde.png

http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/german-scientists-prove-there-is-life-after-death/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-89926/Scientists-discover-near-death-evidence.html

Sun set for 11-year magnetic pole flip

NEW DELHI: A special event is about to occur in our sun, and it could impact our lives. The magnetic poles of the sun — which are like the ends of a giant bar magnet — are about to flip, that is, the polar north will become the polar south and vice versa. According to scientists at the Wilcox Solar Observatory at Stanford University , the sun could be barely two to three months away from this magnetic field reversal. The change is periodic, taking place once every 11 years or so. The flip also corresponds with peak activity during the 11-year solar cycle. This is when sunspots — intense magnetic field flu ctuations that appear as dark spots on the solar surface — are highest in number. "When the number of sunspots is highest, a time known as the solar maximum, the sun's large-scale dipole magnetic field starts reversing. This reversal is akin to sun's magnetic poles flipping. It's almost as if a giant magnet inside the sun was turned upside down," said Dibyendu Nandi, an a strop hysicist at Kolkata's Indian Institute of Science Education and Research. Why does this flip take place? Nandi said that the periodic reversal was linked to the motion of plasma flows inside the sun. The flow of this hot, electrically-charged material tosses and turns one component of the magnetic field into another, eventually changing the sun's dipole field. "This process is technically known as the solar dynamo mechanism and can be studied using computer models which we do in our laboratories," Nandi said. Changes in the sun's magnetic field ripple through the solar system and beyond, a region known as the heliosphere. The weather in space is expected to be most hazardous in the next few months as the flip begins to take place, Nandi said. "The chances of solar magnetic storms occurring are also high. These storms carry a vast amount of charged particles and magnetic fields through interplanetary space and can pose a threat to satellite operations , telecommunications , air traffic on polar routes and power grids in countries at high latitudes ," the scientist said. Scientists are watching the event closely to fully understand the changes that take place. It's also of special interest because the current solar cycle — the 24th since 1755, when sunspot activity began to be recorded — is one of the weakest in 100 years. A strong solar magnetic field also acts as a shield against cosmic rays coming from outer space. "Due to the current weak cycle, we have been recording high cosmic ray influx since 2009," said B N Dwivedi of IIT-BHU. In India, solar magnetic fields are being observed from the solar observatories at Udaipur and Kodaikanal. Then there are theoretical astrophysicists such as Nandi who build computer models to study and predict solar behaviour. TOI

Hearty lunch not breakfast king of meals

Here's why hearty breakfast stands to lose its 'star meal' status to wholesome lunch You have been told for long to 'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper' for optimum health. You may want to give your diet chart an overhaul. It is argued that the concept of 'eating breakfast like a king' was coined by the profit-driven cereal industry. "It had nothing to do with health, or the need of the body," says nutritionist Anju Venkat. "Our body cycle comprises three functions — appropriation, digestion and elimination — for maintaining life. These three functions, which work in eight-hour cycles, are constantly going on in the body." Natural functions Here is how the founder of Worli's Health Awareness Centre explains the body's cycle: noon to 8 pm is for digestion. This is the time to eat, so that the body can most efficiently break it down into nutrients. The time between 8 pm and 4 am is for assimilation/ absorption — when the body does its building and repair work. "This is the time when nutrients received during the day are utilised to make new cells and tissues. This is the time to rest or sleep, (and certainly not eat) since the body is hard at work anyway," adds Venkat. And, between 4 am and noon it is time for elimination. "At this time, the body is getting rid of the waste debris. All that the body cannot utilise is thrown out," says Venkat. "The best time to eat foods that take time to digest (cooked food) is between noon and 8 pm." Prescribed by tradition For centuries, Ayurveda has prescribed different norms for dincharya (daily regimen) and ratricharya (night regimen). "These norms are based on an approach to keep the balance between the biosphere, as represented by the body, with that of cosmic-sphere, represented by the movement of sun, moon and the air. The cosmic phenomenon is functionally represented in human body in terms of vaat (air), pitta (fire) and kapha (earth)," explains Dadar-based Ayurvedic physician Dr Narendra Bhatt. According to Bhatt, the digestive fire is associated with the pitta constitution, which is related to the sun. So that is the time when a full meal will be optimally digested — when the sun is the strongest. Hard to digest A full meal, like a cheese omelette along with butter toast, with side vegetables, occasionally sausages, in the first quarter of the day, is hard to digest for the body. Venkat says, "Milk, for instance, takes six hours, a cheese omelette with toast takes 36 hours, and a cup of tea or coffee takes 24 hours to digest." She adds, "When we eat the wrong food at the wrong time and in the wrong combination, digestion gets prolonged and functions of cleaning and repair slow down too." The ideal first meal Since fruits are pre-digested and supply the body with enough nutrition, they can be consumed in any quantity and at any time. They can be in the form of whole fruit, fresh fruit juice, fruit pulp or dried fruits. Aside from their high water content (needed for cleansing), Venkat points out that fruits leave no acidic residue in the body and demand zero energy for digestion. This makes them an ideal meal for mornings, when the body is in cleansing mode. Having cereals for breakfast is not a good idea, warns registered dietician Pooja Singhania, as they are carbohydrate rich with very little fibre and protein. "The food industry has indeed cashed-in on claims about importance of breakfast," says Singhania. "Cereals like corn flakes are processed grains, loaded with sugar, sodium and artificial flavours and have little fibre and protein. Moreover, the ironfortified cereals discourage absorption of calcium from milk," she says. Minimally processed foods in the form of chapatti, theplas, idli, contain higher nutritive value and make for a healthy breakfast. "However, with our urban lifestyle where the day begins and stretches late into the evening, it is better to have a slightly fulfilling meal like poha for breakfast, followed by a wholesome lunch and a light dinner," says Dr Bhatt.

3 Exercises To Melt Away Love Handles

Wednesday, September 11, 2013 8:31 pm Written by: ThePostGame Staff

While there are no secrets to melting away your love handles, there is definitely a right and a wrong way to attack them. "Too many people spend all of their time focusing on abdominal exercises without burning the fat on top. If you want to get rid of love handles fast, then you must strengthen your obliques, get your heart rate in the weight-loss zone -- 60 percent to 75 percent of your max heart rate -- and eat clean," says Coach Joshua Kozak, founder of HASfit. This six-minute workout contains four rounds of three exercises and can be done from home without equipment. Oblique Burpees 4 x 30 seconds: Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, squat down putting your weight in your butt while reaching your hands toward the floor. Jump with your legs and feet out to one side, land with both feet while keeping your core tight and one leg stacked on top of the other, jump back to center, and then jump straight up bringing your hands overhead. Repeat in the opposite direction. Side Plank Dips 4 x 30 seconds: Lie on your side with your legs straight and one leg stacked directly on top of the other. Bend your elbow and place it directly under your shoulder while you raise your hips off the ground. Lower your hips and then raise them back to the starting position. Repeat for 15 seconds and then switch sides. To increase the difficulty, rise up off of your elbow and straighten your arm while performing the same movement. High Knee Crunches 4 x 30 seconds: Start standing with your feet shoulder width apart and reach up high to one side. Next, simultaneously bring your same side knee up and out while pulling down. Bring your elbow to your knee and contract your oblique muscle at the same time. Allow your arm and leg to return to a relaxed position as you begin to repeat this movement on the opposite side. Alternate sides for the prescribed time.

Drinking tea reduce risk of prostate cancer

Drinking five or more cups of tea a day lowers the risk of advanced prostate cancer, scientists have claimed. Men who drink five or more cups daily have a lower risk of developing stage IV prostate cancer, scientists found. They also have a 25 per cent reduced risk of reaching stage II, compared with those who drink just one cup a day. Scientists in the Netherlands analysed data on 58,279 men and found 3,362 cases of prostate cancer, including 1,164 advanced cancers. “We had data on tumour stage for most cases which made it possible to stratify data against the stage of the disease,” Dr Milan Geybels, lead researcher at Maastricht University, said. Stage II is where the tumour has grown inside the prostate gland but not spread. By stage IV the cancer has typically spread to the lymph nodes, bones or liver. It is believed naturally occurring compounds in tea called flavonoids inhibit cancer cells from forming tumours. One cup of tea provides about 150-200mg of flavonoids.

Headphones making more people deaf

Hearing loud and blasting music through headphones is causing hearing loss among a wide range of people, a new poll has found. The survey conducted by New York City Health Department has revealed that nearly one in four young adults -between the ages of 18 and 44, have hearing problems because of heavy headphone use, the New York Post reported. It was found that they were more than twice as likely to have trouble hearing as those who were not frequent MP3 listeners. The survey suggested that more than one-third of young adults say they listen to music with buds every day. Out of those who listen every day, 16 per cent reported listening at high volume for four or more hours.TOI

Top 10 exercises to boost your brain power

You keep your body active by doing regular workouts. Similarly, your mind also requires certain brain fitness workouts that can help your mind process information more quickly. This increases your ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time. To help you achieve this, you will find simple but effective brain training games and exercises such as solving math problems to achieve greater mind fitness. Include this brain stretching exercise in your daily routine to get boost your brain power. Here are the top 10 daily brain exercises that can help you stay mentally sharp at any age. Art projects: Art is a great source of exercise for your brain, as it helps to boost that part of the brain that works without words and can only express itself non-verbally. Art requires you to be creative, use fine motor skills, and think analytically. Hence, art encourages the brain to think out of the box, and trains your brain to think on different planes. All this while being fun as well. Expand your vocabulary Learn new words, sign up for newsletters, read articles closely, and list out words that you are not familiar with. This technique will help you outsmart the conversation with your boss, as well as sharpen your memory, by increasing your vocabulary. Use your non-dominant hand While doing basic tasks which require no concentration, try using the non-dominant hand; say if you are right-handed, try using your left hand to eat, brush etc. This activity will require extreme attention, and you will find yourself focusing on completing these simple tasks. Do your own math For your daily calculation, do not use calculators. Instead, opt for the old fashioned mental math. As we grow older, it gets difficult to do even the normal math in our heads and we opt for calculators. It's better not to take the help of the calculator, and do math in your head. This is a very common way to keep your brain active. If you are not good at calculations, then put in som practice. Listen to your favourite song again and again If you like a specific song, keep listening to it over and over again as this will help your brain memorize the lyrics and after some time you will know the lyrics of the entire song. This activity will help your brain boost its memorizing power. Multi tasking is good for you Performing activities like working at the computer, putting your little sister to sleep, listening to music, solving math etc - all at the same time, requires a lot of attention. All these are simple basic activities, which can be done together; but, distractions can cause confusion. Practise multi tasking simple tasks so that it increases your concentration levels. Study a foreign language The advantage of learning a new language is that it is a great source of exercise for the mind and it's a great way to boost your professional career as well. Further, people who have knowledge of foreign languages are always in great professional demand. Besides, studying something new always keeps your brain busy. Skip GPS - Opt for maps Thanks to new technology, reaching an unknown destination has become very easy. However, we are becoming too dependent on these technologies as we are losing our mind's power of analysis. We need to stop letting these gadgets do all our tasks for us, and use maps instead. This utilizes your imagination and analytical skills. Use a brain training video game When you are free or when you have nothing to do, engage in playing video games. Not all video games are brainless. Some video games like Halo, would require lots of reasoning and thinking. Engaging in playing games like this or even solving Sudoku puzzles will help your brain power develop. Avoid using a shopping list Always shopping with a list in hand is a simple job. The real task begins when you memorize all the things in your head and then do the shopping. Initially it will be a little tedious, you will forget some things. But as time passes by, and as your mind becomes more active, you will get all the items without the help of a shopping list. Read more Personal Health, Diet & Fitness stories on www.healthmeup.com