You Can Heal Yourself

February 15, 2012
Talk about the ultimate expert. The author of this guide to healing after injury or illness is a Harvard doctor who specializes in rehabilitative medicine and a cancer survivor. Silver keeps her book from being too dry by adding light touches. When she is touting vitamin D, she notes that she often calls it vitamin D-ivine. And she gives easy-to-remember tips; for instance, On average, people should eat about 10-15 calories for each pound they weigh in order to maintain their weight. She is a big proponent of healthy living, including getting at least eight hours of sleep a night (patients in noisy intensive care units get less than two!). Silver is chatty and upbeat, peppering her text with fun quotes. When she talks about setting goals, for example, she mentions Yogi Berra's line, If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.And she ends the empowering book by repeating a line from Winston Churchill, Never, never, never give up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)