'Proof of Heaven' author has multiple claims from his book debunked by doctor who treated him during his seven-day coma The accuracy of Dr. Eben Alexander's New York Times bestseller has been called in question A doctor who treated him has contradicted several claims he makes in the book about his illness He claims he cried out 'God help me!' but he wouldn't have been able to since he had a tube down his throat An expose in August's Esquire also claims he covered up an incident from his career as a neurosurgeon and even exaggerated the weather Alexander says he stands by every word he has written The accuracy of a New York Times bestseller in which Dr. Eben Alexander writes about his alleged experiences in the afterlife after slipping into a coma has been called into question after a doctor who treated him revealed several inaccuracies with his story. "Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife" has sold nearly two million copies and remained on best-seller lists for over 35 weeks. But now an investigation of Dr. Alexander's past and some of his book's claims have revealed a series of factual omissions and inconsistencies that call significant parts of his story into question. Dr. Eben Alexander is facing claims that his best-seller 'Proof of Heaven' features a series of factual omissions and inconsistencies "I think when you buy a book that's marketed as a nonfiction book, when that book's called "Proof of Heaven," I think that carries with it certain expectations of accuracy," Esquire contributing editor Luke Dittrich, who carried out the investigation, told TODAY on Tuesday. As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Alexander claims he had always leaned more towards science than religion, but then he nearly died four years ago when a bout of bacterial meningitis put him into a seven-day coma. When he emerged from his coma, Alexander described visions of heaven he had seen. "So much of what I saw on my journey showed me how primitive our science is," he said in a promotional video made for "Proof of Heaven" which was released in October 2012. Interviews with the likes of Oprah Winfrey have helped 'Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife' sell nearly two million copies and remain on best-seller lists for over 35 weeks In an article, titled "The Prophet" in the August issue of Esquire, contributing editor Luke Dittrich claims to have found inaccuracies in Dr. Alexander's story. In one chapter Dr. Alexander writes about screaming out "God help me!," a claim contradicted by the emergency room physician treating him that day. Dr. Laura Potter said she had no recollection of him crying out, plus she had intubated him - making it impossible for him to speak. Alexander also writes that he slipped into the coma as a result of E. coli bacterial meningitis and had no higher brain activity, while Dr. Potter says the coma was medically induced and the patient was conscious, though hallucinating. The Esquire article also accuses Alexander of falsifying medical records to cover up the fact that he'd operated at the wrong site on a patient's spine when working as a neurosurgeon. The August issue of Esquire features an in depth feature by contributing editor Luke Dittrich which debunks a number of Dr. Alexander's claims Dittrich even claims that Alexander changed the weather during the week he was in a coma for dramatic effect. Following the publication of the Esquire article, Alexander has issued a statement in which he has said he is keeping to his side of the story. "I stand by every word in this book and have made its message the purpose of my life," he wrote. Esquire's cynical article distorts the facts of my 25-year career as a neurosurgeon and is a textbook example of how unsupported assertions and cherry-picked information can be assembled at the expense of the truth. The Esquire article isn't the first time that Alexander's claims have been come into question. In April, Michael Shermer at Scientific American said the author's "evidence is proof of hallucination, not heaven."