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Questions about the afterlife remain unanswered by the scientific community, but a man named Daniel thinks he already knows what happens when we die. Six years ago, Daniel was taken to the
hospital for an operation on his lower back. After leaving the surgical theatre, he was hooked up to a machine dispensing pain medication. According to his account, there was a mix-up
between Daniel's surgeons and the nurses as he was not meant to receive any drugs at the time. But the post-surgery pain was unbearable and Daniel was desperate to have it treated. He
told the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF): "I tell the nurse that I need something for the pain because I couldn't take it anymore. "My wife told the nurse
that I wasn't supposed to have any pain medications but the nurse didn't listen." READ MORE: LIFE AFTER DEATH: WOMAN ENCOUNTERS 'LIGHT BEINGS IN THE AFTERLIFE' After
being hooked to the machine, Daniel used the machine over and over again, leading to an accidental overdose. What followed was an incredible near-death experience or NDE, which left Daniel
convinced the afterlife is real. He said: "I saw a tunnel with a white light at the end of it. I headed towards the light. "That's when I saw my grandmother. We asked how each
other was doing. "I told her that I was married with two girls and that I was very happy. He said: "I also was attached to all types of machines and my doctor said that I
wasn't leaving until I had a bowel movement. It took me a week to use the bathroom. "I had to learn how to get off the bed, because of the pain I was having from the turning and
twisting of my back. "I went from staying overnight and going home, to staying for a week in the hospital." Although the account is fascinating, there is very little hard evidence
to show it was in any way paranormal. Most medical experts agree vivid NDEs like Daniel's are caused by many possible natural phenomena. According to one theory, NDEs are hallucinations
caused by a lack of oxygen flowing to the brain. A study carried out on rats at the University of Michigan, for instance, found brain activity can surge in the final seconds of life. The
researchers induced cardiac arrest in lab rats while monitoring the activity in their brains. Jimo Borjigin, PhD, associate professor of molecular and integrative physiology and associate
professor of neurology, said: "The prediction that we would find some signs of conscious activity in the brain during cardiac arrest was confirmed with the data."