The Early Show

Secrets To "Super-Healing"

September 17, 2007 / 8:29 AM EDT / CBS

When Dr. Julie Silver offers advice on the best way to heal from an illness or surgery, she brings more to her recommendations than just her expertise in rehabilitative medicine. Silver is a cancer survivor who has brought her personal experiences into the suggestions she makes in her new book, "Super Healing."

According to Silver, healing doesn't really begin until active treatment has ended. And once you enter what she calls "the healing zone," Silver says she believes, "You can be there for a long time. You may never heal completely, but your goal is to heal as optimally as you can."

And as your body works to recover its health, "You should not accept more pain, fatigue or disability than you need to," she says. Even recovering from a chronic illness, such as arthritis, offers the chance to improve your overall quality of life.

Silver says, "If you have been ill, once you leave the hospital, you actively need to reverse patterns" from being in the hospital, where you were bedridden, ate whatever and whenever they wanted and slept for a large portion of the day.

"You may need to be less active with the chores that go with normal life, because you are tired and your appetite has been affected," she observes. "And you need to build your strength in ways that are especially tailored to healing. For instance, don't push a lawn mower around. That will just wear you out. Instead, choose therapeutic activities that build strength and endurance. One of the best is taking long walks and doing gentle strengthening exercises."

Silver stresses three factors that can aid in recovery:

Exercise/Physical activity: "Get a pedometer. Add 500 steps per day each week, until you get yourself up to 10,000 per day," says Silver.

Diet, which can give you the energy to heal: "Eat five times per day, and watch portion sizes. This approach makes levels of nutrients in your body more consistent, avoiding peaks and valleys of energy levels, digestion, nutrients, etc. It is a better way to fuel the body than eating fewer larger meals. Definitely don't wait until noon to have your first nutritious food," according to Silver.

The quality of the rest you: "Stop napping in the middle of the day. Sleeping straight through the night is far more restorative. Once you eliminate napping, if you have trouble sleeping through the night, investigate why with your doctor, and work on ways to correct that."

Besides the physical changes you can make to increase healing, Silver also reminds us that there are emotional and spiritual aspects to recovering from an illness.

"There is also a mind-body connection that helps to promote healing," she says. "People who are loved feel better than those who aren't. Some people receive this love automatically. But if you're trying to heal, and you are not feeling the love, try to reach out for it. People who've been sick tend to withdraw and avoid contact with others. But you really should be making a point of connecting with other people. They probably will have a better sense of your needs, and be more inclined to help you with them, if you do."

And among the other ways to take advantage of the mind-body connection "include meditation, communing with nature, and, if you are so inclined, prayer."