Oh my! I can't believe summer is over and Fall is here. So far it has been beautiful. I love all the seasons and Autumn is truly a favorite.

It was a great summer. I enjoyed playing with my grandkids, traveling, walking in Sharon Woods, Swimming, Eating outside Al Fresco, planting flowers, and walking barefoot in the grass.

There was just one glitch-my summer itch. Around mid July I developed an itching problem. It scared me because I thought for sure my liver is doomed or I have some other mysterious ailment that would end my life. When I went to my doctor, he asked if we treated our lawn-Well-yes indeed.

We are one of the many who desire a beautiful green lawn free of weeds and strange grasses surrounded by flowers and budding trees. Not only that, but we overkilled with the treatment this year by totally killing our backyard and having it reseeded. Unfortunately the professionals we hired had to use chemicals. Thus my doctor diagnosed me as TOXIC. Yikes! Could it be? Well-I love leaving my windows and doors open, hate air conditioning and spend hours outside gardening, composting, weeding, and just sitting on the deck enjoying the "fresh air." Not so fresh for me this summer.

He recommended several herbs and detoxing concoctions like activated charcoal and bentonite. The herbs I could do- Milk Thistle and Wood Betony. The Charcoal and Bentonite-not so much. He also recommended a few simple things to do, which I have outlined below.

It has been two months since I started that routine and there is still some itching, but definitely not as annoying. We will repeat the blood work, but in the meantime, we have changed our lawn treatment to ORGANIC and I have paid more attention to exposure to environmental toxins. If you can handle a few weeds in your yard, it is best to avoid chemicals alltogether.

There is no way of getting around it, we are all exposed, but there are ways of daily detoxing.

In case you think you need a detox: Here are 5 simple things you can do:

1. Drink lots and lots of pure water. Add a little lemon or lime.

2. Eat organic fresh vegetables and fruits. I so enjoyed going to the weekly outdoor markets and buying fresh produce. Stick to a high fiber low sugar diet. Avoid meats and dairy. If you must-The Middle Way of moderation is best.

3. Take Warm salt water baths with Epson salts and baking soda are very soothing and great for stress reduction. Stay in at least 30 minutes.

4. Exercise enough to sweat. The skin is the largest organ for releasing toxins.

5. Detox your mind with daily meditation, prayer, spiritual reading, Tai Chi or other forms of calming movement. My husband and I just finished an 8 week intro to Tai Chi class. I will write about that later.

I hope you all had a nice summer. I hope to write more frequently. Send me a note and tell me what you want to hear.

Enjoy the fresh season of Autum!