"Go Wild" with Dr. John Ratey (podcast)

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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. Dr. Ratey has also been featured several times on the Brain Science Podcast. He is an expert on the brain benefits of exercise.

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Interview with HIV Pioneer Michael Saag, MD

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Michael Sagg, MD (click to listen)Episode 54 of Books and Ideas is an interview with Dr. Michael Saag, one of the pioneers in the battle against HIV-AIDS and author of the provocative new book Positive: One Doctor's Personal Encounters with Death, Life, and the US Healthcare System. When I asked him why he wrote his book he said bluntly "Because I am angry!"

Saag shares the frustration of most American physicians who struggle with the current chaos that we call a healthcare "system." As he notes on page 2 of Positive,  “over three decades of unparalleled advances in science and healing, so much about practicing medicine seems to have gotten worse. Medical professionals’ time with patients has decreased while the workload had increased. The cost of patient care has risen by every measure, while insurers appear to profit more and help less.”

In Positive Dr. Saag blends the inside story of how HIV-AIDS was transformed from a death sentence to a manageable chronic medical condition with a candid discussion of our sytems failings. He recognizes that those of us who want to see real change face an uphill battle against powerful, (and rich) entrenched interests who are profiting from the current chaos, but it is his hope that Positive will motivate physicians and patients to use the actvisim that helped spur success against AIDS as an inspiration to fight together for change.

Listen to Episode 54 of Books and Ideas

Episode Transcript (Download PDF)

 

References: 

Announcements: 

  • I will be speaking at The Amazing Meeting, which will be held in Las Vegas, NV July 10-13, 2014.
  • I will also be attending the Podcast Movement in Dallas TX, August 16, 17 2014.
  • The most recent episosde of the Brain Science Podcast (BSP 108) is an interview with Dr. Michael Graziano author of Consciousness and the Social Brain. The next episode will come out at the end of this month.
  • The next episode of Books and Ideas will be with Dr. John Ratey about his new book Go Wild.
  • In July 2014 I will be starting a one year fellowship in Palliative Care Medicine at the UAB School of Medicine. I am not sure yet how this will impact my podcasting schedule.

 

 

Podcast Explores Sleep Science (BSP 107)

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The latest episode of the Brain Science Podcast (BSP 107) is an interview with Dr. Penelope Lewis, author of The Secret World of Sleep: The Surprising Science of the Mind at Rest.

 

 

Click here to play the interview.

Click here for the full show notes and episode transcript.

 

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American Humanism with Becky Hale (podcast)

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The latest episode of Books and Ideas (BI 53) is an interview with Rebecca Hale, president of the American Humanist Association. We explore the basic tenets of humanism and also discuss the particular challenges facing humanists in the United States. 

Hale describes humanism as "a life philosophy based on personal responsibility: humans made the problems in the world, and it's up to us to take responsibility to fix them, so that we leave the planet better than we found it."

Listen to Episode 53 of Books and Ideas (right click to download mp3)

Free Episode Transcript (Download PDF) 

Related Episodes:

Links and References: 


click on image to play audio

Announcements:

Brain Science Podcast Update

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I have just posted the February episode of the Brain Science Podcast and so I wanted to give you an update.

The new Premium Subscription is off to a good start. In addition many listeners are buying individual episodes and transcripts. These are on sell for only $1 each. However it is important to note that the most recent 25 episodes remain free to download or stream. Last year the Brain Science Podcast also became available on Stitcher.

Here is a brief description of the most recent free episodes:

Michael Merzenich (BSP 105)BSP 105 is an interview with Dr. Michael Merzenich, author of Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life. Although this is Merzenich's first book, he was also interviewed back in BSP 54. This interview focuses on why the choices each of us make effects whether brain plasticity is our friend or foe.

Listen to BSP 105 (right click to download)

BSP 106 is an interview with Dr. Luiz Pessoa, author of The Cognitive-Emotional Brain: From Interactions to Integration. Although this book is aimed at students andLuiz Pessoa (BSP 106) working scientists, this interview gives all listeners a chance to learn about how recent experiments are challenging traditional assumptions about emotion and cognition.

Listen to BSP 106 (Right click to download)

 Please visit the Brain Science Podcast website for detailed show notes and episode transcripts.