Researchers will study if out-of-body experiences are real
30.09.2008 23:02
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
A group of British, U.S. and Canadian researchers will study whether out-of-body experiences are real, as some people have claimed after surviving cardiac arrest. In a study run by the University of Southampton's Human Consciousness Project, researchers will examine 1,500 survivors of heart attacks over three years at 25 hospitals in Europe, the U.S. and Canada to determine if the phenomenon of seeing a light at the end of the tunnel or floating above as reported by some is genuine. To test patients, doctors will place random photographs on shelves higher than the beds in emergency and intensive care rooms, which will only be visible if the heart-attack victims are looking down, the researchers say. The photos will be confidential and changed routinely, they say. "Without prompting they might say, 'I saw an image,'" said Ken Spearpoint, a resuscitation nurse at Hammersmith Hospital in West London, U.K. "If they do that, we have clear evidence that they had some sort of consciousness during a procedure that by the traditional sense — by all acceptable understanding — is clinically death." Heather Sloan, a former nurse from Southampton, believes the phenomenon is real after she suffered internal bleeding and experienced it herself. "I looked at the bed and on the bed was me and I realized it was a bit of an 'oh boy!'" said Sloan, who added that she watched the medical staff working on her from above. "It happened as far as I am concerned, and anyone who has had the same experience will say the same," she said. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKVIDEOAdrienne Arsenault reports: Researchers will study if out-of-body experiences are real (2:51)Health HeadlinesDriving deaths spike on election days: studyDrivers and pedestrians face an increased risk of deadly motor vehicle collisions on election days, researchers reported Wednesday.Breast cancer risk linked to larger birth size: studyGirls who were born heavier and longer than average may be at increased risk for breast cancer as adults, a new review suggests.Genetic risk score could highlight gout riskPeople with three genetic variants may be at up to 40-fold increased risk of developing gout, a finding that could show who is it at highest risk long before symptoms appear, researchers say.News articles often fail to report sources of bias: study News articles often fail to report on drug company funding and use brand names, two potential sources of bias, say researchers who reviewed coverage.Goudge inquiry expected to urge sweeping reforms for child autopsiesThe Goudge inquiry into a string of botched autopsies by discredited Toronto pathologist Charles Smith is expected to recommend major changes in how Ontario's coroner's office operates. Health FeaturesHEALTHMultiple sclerosisHigh rates in Canada and around the worldIN DEPTHFood additivesPreservation with a risk?HEALTHPain pillsPros and cons of three popular pain relieversVIEWPOINTHeather MallickFat and food: what's the real crisis?MEDICAL RESEARCHBrain banksCrucial for research, clamouring for donorsHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosZorba the obesePeople who read this also read …
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