If you have stress, you need this book. Although it is written mainly with women’s special stress needs in mind, anyone undergoing continued stress can truly benefit from the information in The Stress Cure: A Simple 7-Step Plan to Help Women Balance Mood, Improve Memory, and Restore Energy.

Written by Vern Cherewatenko, a family physician and founder of HealthMax Inc. (a company dedicated to functional medicine with emphasis on stress issues), and writer Paul Perry, former executive editor at Health Magazine, this comprehensive guide to understanding and eliminating stress is a godsend for millions of women who struggle with chronic stress and its debilitating symptoms. Excessive stress has been linked to every major disease, including cancer, and is epidemic in our fast-paced culture.

The seven-step De-Stress Program consists of the usual commonsense concepts – healthy eating, exercising, meditation, getting rid of stressors, getting enough sleep, etc. But what makes this book a stand-out is the focus on a relatively uncelebrated stress-related hormone called DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), which seems to be a sort of “wonder drug” for relieving such symptoms as fatigue, low sex drive, weight gain, depression, irritability and chronic pain - all associated with raised levels of ongoing stress.

Cherewatenko and Perry explain how all of the major stress hormones, including the “baddies” like cortisol and adrenaline, work to damage the body and the mind if left unchecked due to chronic stress. Because most women are utterly lacking in the counter-hormone DHEA, research using this hormone in supplement form has shown amazing results, including stunning changes in both physical and mental performance, weight, stamina, coping skills, memory, energy levels and sex drive.

In addition to DHEA, the authors recommend other important nutritional supplements, including B vitamins and anti-oxidants, along with a regimine of choosing the right foods, exercise and sleep. Rekindling important and nurturing relationships also plays a role in eliminating stress, as does “taming the tiger,” or using meditation or even reading or taking a walk to reduce stress and calm the mind and body. But DHEA is the real star of this show, and this book and the evidence of its miraculous benefits for women under the duress of stress is exciting.

The book offers plenty of documented research, personal stories of success on both DHEA and the entire seven-step program, and plenty of resources for those who want to try DHEA or need additional information. There are also two websites, www.femalestress.com and www.thestresscure.com, with links to new research and places to buy top quality DHEA, but the authors strongly advise working with your healthcare professional first to make sure you can tolerate this hormone without side effects.

I fully plan to put The Stress Cure to the test, being a very stressed-out mother and writer, and I have to admit I felt better just reading the book, knowing that there are so many natural ways I can reduce the deadly effects of stress in my life. This book is both timely and usable, and should be on the nightstand of any woman who repeatedly says to herself “I can’t cope with this.” The great news is: you can.