Episode 58 of Books and Ideas is a short episode dedicated to my late husband Dr. Dennis G Smith, who died unexpectedly on July 25th 2015. We were married for 38 years and this  is a celebration of our life together.

Donations in his memory can be made to German Shepherd Rescue of Central Alabama.

Send email feedback to me at [email protected] or follow me on Twitter.

Full show notes and a free transcript for this episode are available at: http://virginiacampbellmd.com/blog/2015/8/dennis-smith.

Episode 57 is the first episode of Books and Ideas that I have produced in 2015. It is a conversation with experienced podcaster Elsie Escobar. Elsie brings a unique perspective to the question Why Podcast? because she does it all: she hosts and produces 2 shows, works for Libsyn, the company that hosts my shows and many others, and she listens to more podcasts than seems humanly possible.

For complete show notes and episode transcripts please visit http://booksandideas.com.

Send feedback to [email protected].

Episode 56 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Dr. Amos Bailey, one of the pioneers of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. We talk about the origins of the field and try to dispel some common misperceptions about what we do.

Note: Dr. Campbell (the host of Books and Ideas) is currently doing Fellowship Training in Palliative Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine.

Go to http://booksandideas for complete show notes and free episode transcripts.

Send feedback to Dr. Campbell at [email protected].

Episode 55 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Dr. John Ratey, co-author of "Go Wild: Free Your Body and Mind from the Afflictions of Civilization." There is considerable evidence that our hunter-gatherer ancestors were generally suprisingly healthy, so the purpose of this book and our conversation was to explore the scientific evidence supporting a return to a healthier lifestyle. We touch on diet, exercise, the role of sleep and even meditation. We also explore the importance of our relationship with nature and each other.

Detailed show notes and free episode transcripts are available at http://booksandideas.com.

Send feedback to [email protected]

I have previously interviewed Dr. Ratey about his books "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise" and the Brain (BSP 33) and "Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood "(BSP 45).

My apologies for uploading an incomplete version of this episode, and worst of all not detecting the problem for almost a week.

Episode 54 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Dr. Michaels Saags from the UAB Center for AIDS Research and author of "Positive: One Doctor's Personal Encounters with Death, Life, and the US Healthcare System." Dr. Saag became involved in the fight against HIV-AIDS early in his career and his work has been vital in transforming HIV from a death sentence to a manageable medical condition, but like many American physicians he is "angry" about the current state of "healthcare" in the US. We consider both topics in this interview.

Complete show notes and episode transcripts are available at http://booksandideas.com.

Episadoe 53 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Rebecca Hale, current President of the American Humanist Association. We talk about the history of humanism and how it differs from skepticism and atheism. We also talk about how American Humanism fits into the larger picture of world-wide humanism.

This episode is intended for people of all beliefs.

Full episode show notes and free transcripts are available at http://booksandideas.com.

Send feedback to [email protected] or post your comments in the special thread that I have started in the Brain Science Podcast Group on Goodreads.

Mur Lafferty is one of the pioneers of podcasting and was one of my inspirations for starting two podcasts back in 2006. She was interviewed here way back in Episode 17, so I am glad to have her back. Mur has been working hard on her writing craft and has recently published "The Shambling Guide to New York City" to rave reviews. She also recently won the prestigious John W Campbell Award for Most Promising New Writer in Science Fiction and Fantasy. This interview is a fun conversation that includes nuggets of wisdom for all aspiring writers.

Go to http://booksandideas.com for full show notes and free episode transcripts.

Books and Ideas is sponsored by Audible.com and by listener donations.

I just wanted to let you know that a new episode of Books and Ideas wil be coming soon. Thanks so much for subscribing. Learn more at http://virginiacampbellmd.com.

Episode 51 of Books and Ideas is actually a followup of Dr. Jaak Panksepp's recent interview on the Brain Science Podcast. There we talked in depth about the scientific evidence that humans share basic emotional circuitry with other mammals. In this interview we talk about the implications of this discovery. We focus on how it should impact the treatment of laboratory animals. We also consider our relationships with pets and other domestic species.

For detailed show notes and free episode transcripts go to http://booksandideas.com.

Send email to Dr. Campbell at gincampbell at mac dot com.

Episode 50 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Ted Meisner, host of The Secular Buddhist podcast. We talk a little about the basics of Buddhism with a focus on the core teachings. The goal of The Secular Buddhist podcast is to highlight the practical teachings of Buddhism, while acknowledging that many of us would like to leave myths like reincarnation behind. Ted also interviews scientists who are trying to discover what happens in the brain when people meditate.

For detailed show notes and free episode transcripts go to http://booksandideas.com.