Tag: lifestyle diseases

An “accident” of sorts by a team of doctors in Vancouver Canada suggests that we might actually see our entire life flash by us in our last few moments.

A team of scientists was recording and studying the brainwaves of a terminally ill patient who was suffering from epilipsey. During the course of recording the patient suffered a major heart attack giving the scientists a recording of the brainwaves in the last few moments before death.

It revealed that in the 30 seconds before and after, the man’s brainwaves followed the same patterns as dreaming or recalling memories.

Dr Ajmal Zemmar, a co-author of the study, said that what the team, then based in Vancouver, Canada, accidentally got, was the first-ever recording of a dying brain.

Quoting Dr Zemmer – “This was actually totally by chance, we did not plan to do this experiment or record these signals. If I were to jump to the philosophical realm, I would speculate that if the brain did a flashback, it would probably like to remind you of good things, rather than the bad things.But what’s memorable would be different for every person.

This could possibly be a last recall of memories that we’ve experienced in life, and they replay through our brain in the last seconds before we die.

I think there’s something mystical and spiritual about this whole near-death experience,” Dr Zemmar said. And findings like this – it’s a moment that scientists lives for.”

The point to note that the brainwaves pattern started approximately 30 seconds before the heart stopped beating and continued for about 30 seconds after the heart stopped beating – the point at which the patient is typically declared dead.

A similar study in 2013 – carried out on healthy rats – may offer a clue. In that analysis, US researchers reported high levels of brainwaves at the point of the death until 30 seconds after the rats’ hearts stopped beating – just like the findings found in Dr Zemmar’s epileptic patient.

The completed article as reported in the medical Journal can be studied here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.813531/full#h6

Stress management

In a metropolitan city like Delhi, it is a rule of thumb for an individual to feel stressed. The humdrum of the daily routine, fighting against the clock to be ahead of deadlines, the surrounding traffic, blaring of horns and even if not that, the rising swarm of people in the metro…to surpass that, we live in small houses, away from nature, eat unhealthy junk food and to exercise means only exercising our fingers on the keypads of our smartphones. And hence stress becomes the norm.

So how do we manage stress? Very simple things-

First, find time for yourself – relax, recreate, pause, enjoy.

Second, find time for your body to heal – a healthy diet, daily exercise, and a good night’s sleep.

Third, build and utilize your social support – relatives, friends, family – catch up, chat, laugh and smile.

Fourth – focus on the stressors – identify, change the stress or improve your ability to cope.

Fifth – counter the ill effects of stress- meditate, practice yoga, rejuvenate.

Last – spend time with nature and slow down.