Could you use a little more energy? Got a nagging health issue you’d like to clear up? Want to drop a few pounds? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, Woodson Merrell’s book The Source: Unleash Your Natural Energy, Power Up Your Health, and Feel 10 Years Younger probably offers the advice you need to start improving your whole life.

The Source covers “the why, the how, and the food” divided into three parts – Transforming Energy, 21 Days to Optimal Energy, and Menus and Recipes – which can be read consecutively or in any order you please. “Each part stands alone as a usable guide to energy creation,” Woodson explains, “But taken together, all of the parts will magnify and deepen your understanding of how to increase energy and create a uniquely personal, healthy lifestyle.”

Most of us have grown accustomed to fast-paced, stress-filled lives. We may not like it, but we assume there’s nothing to be done about it. Woodson, however, feels that this is an epidemic as dangerous as any plague, and his mission in this book is to help the rest of us realize how important stress-reduction is to health and happiness. “Loss of energy is one of the top five complaints to doctors,” he tells us. The modern lifestyle drains energy, depleting the body of the necessary resource to heal itself of even minor ailments. The good news is that there are ways to stop the energy drain and replenish the life force that is vital to good health. And more good news – Dr. Woodson explains exactly how to do that.

Filled with information about the science of health and healing, The Source is also reader-friendly, explaining those scientific concepts in a way that apply directly to issues we’re trying to solve. In Part 1, Woodson covers in detail the foods that will best serve you in your quest for good health and boundless energy, as well as detoxification and spiritual practices that contribute to overall well-being. Part 2 of The Source is a day-by-day schedule for increasing energy and feeling younger, consisting of “three vital phases that will purify and maximize your body’s energy-generating capacity.” Part 3 is filled with menus and recipes (compiled with the help of Stefanie Bryn Sacks, a culinary nutritionist) that make sticking to the plan a no-brainer.

Woodson is chairman of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Co-author Kathleen Merrell is a journalist specializing in holistic and preventive health. Their combined knowledge leads to a comprehensive plan for people who want to be healthier and happier, and who are smart enough and willing to take responsibility for their own health.