An Amazing Discovery...

In the May 7th issue of Newsweek Magazine there is a fascinating article about the new science of death. Researchers found an amazing discovery that changes the way doctors are thinking about heart attacks, as well as death itself. When someone dies of a heart attack, what has happened is that their heart has stopped beating. This is the clinical definition of death and the brain then shuts down to conserve oxygen. The conventional thinking by the medical community has been that if a patient could not be revived within 4 to 5 minutes, the brain and heart would sustain irreversible damage from lack of oxygen to the cells. This went unquestioned until Dr. Lance Becker, an authority on emergency room medicine, decided to look at the heart cells they assumed were oxygen starved and dying. They found that the cells had oxygen and there was no evidence that they were dying. It was an incredible discovery that led them to look farther into the biology of cells. What they found in the cells, led them to look at how patients may be resuscitated in the future.

I found this article so intriguing because I have always loved the idea of wondering and questioning the way things are done or thought about. The idea of doing that opens my mind and heart to a broader perspective that leads to new understandings. Each day we act in accordance to what we think is true, but too often we move through life and forget to wonder and question. What if something we hold as true, turns out after questioning to have shed light on a new perspective? I have experienced that many times in my life. Many of the beliefs that guided my life turned out to be based on old information and when I really spent time with them, realized that I had an opportunity to embrace something new. For me, embracing something new literally changed by life just like this discovery of resuscitating people might actually allow them to live. That is really the truth of it, in order to truly live and embrace life, we have to continually keep wondering, questioning and opening our heart and mind to new perspectives.

One man's courage to question something believed as true lead to this amazing discovery that in fact the cells of the brain and heart live for hours after death with no damage. This in turn led to a whole new way to think about death, but also about how people can live. We have that same opportunity. Everyday each of us has the chance to make these same kinds of miraculous discoveries about ourselves. We can wonder and question and come to new understandings that allow us to fully embrace life. It is not surprising that they found this discovery about the heart. It’s long been known that the heart has its own wisdom and has the capacity to allow our lives to be guided by the infinite love found there. There has never been a time when it is more important to open our hearts and minds to new ways of thinking and deeper understandings about ourselves and others. Imagine living life in the full embrace and love of ones heart. ~ Blessings on your Journey ~

Sandy