Staying Connected:
We’ve all heard the stories of people hearing voices, receiving guidance and advice, being shown a path loud and clear when they were completely alone. This is what happened to me. Eight years ago I went out on an early summer morning run. Around the intersection of Anderson and Aztec, just before turning left onto the urban trail, the message came, ”You’re going to open a comprehensive wellness center in Flagstaff. You’re going to show people how to heal deeply and help them find their unique paths.” Within the week I had registered to begin studies with The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) and was planning my exit strategy from North Country HealthCare. It all moved fast, and I was terrified. What I have learned since then is that when heart and opportunity align, it’s a sign to jump on the train because it may not be coming by again for a long time, if ever.
As my vision came to life over the past 8 years in this multidisciplinary clinic, I saw people becoming healthy as if they were reversing their age. From my studies with IFM I knew chronic conditions like hypertension, autoimmunity and diabetes could reverse. I began to see this happening as well. Now, I’m realizing I wanted to dig in deep with each person and help them completely change the trajectories of their lives. This is why I am developing a program customized for each person. What does your health mean for you?
Join me on September 24, 2025 at 5PM for a webinar where you can learn more. Please RSVP by replying to this mail so we can have a head count and bring your spouse or partner so they can share the experience with you. Change will affect them as much as it will you. We will send a zoom link to all RSVP’s. I am excited to see you there!
Rooted in Healing – Medicine Redefined
The KAZM radio show on 106.5 FM & 780 AM has been running for 2 months. I am deeply grateful for those guests who have helped me get it off the ground. This month look forward to
- GI - Part 2 with Debra Meier,
- Hormone Replenishment with Daved Rosensweet, MD,
- Why is it so hard to change? with Jennifer Spencer, and
- Traditional Chinese Medicine - Sorting Misconceptions with Milissa Gillen, L.Ac., MAOM
You can also listen online or Apple Podcasts
Ryan at the station is working on getting us set up on a lot of other podcast platforms. Stay tuned for that list.
New Mexico State License
More good news! Our reach is expanding now to include The Land of Enchantment. My license was granted about 2 weeks ago. This means that anyone in New Mexico can receive the same care and no longer need to travel to Arizona. Telemedicine laws are tricky. The bottom line is that if you are the person receiving medical advice, YOU must be standing on the soil of a state where the provider giving the medical advice holds a medical license. As the provider, I can be technically anywhere, but the person who is receiving advice needs to physically be in a state where I hold a license.
If there are family, friends and/or loved ones you have in New Mexico who would be a good fit for our practice, please send them our way. bethclaxtonmd.com Thank you in advance!
Paleo Valley Affiliate
In the past month Paleo Valley became an affiliate with us. This means that they will send us their sales and offerings, and if someone purchases through the link, we get a small payment for promoting them. It’s a great way for me to share the products that I use and introduce them to you. There is an upcoming section of the website for the “Products We Love”. These links will be housed there as well. Here’s the link for Paleo Valley’s olive oil.
The founders have been a part of a healing journey that included clean food and meats with none of the processed junk present in traditional bars and meat sticks. All of their products are made from organic sources. Their meat sticks are something I originally ordered on a Black Friday sale. They were surprisingly delicious! I took one or two of them on every long hike this past spring. They were great airplane food for my recent international flights. Now I’m out and looking forward to ordering more. I’m eager to try their golden milk which is also dairy-free.
Please share what you like and if there is a specific product you’d like to have available through our website.
Stories from Ancient Egypt - Chapter 2
Depiction of woman giving birth
One doesn’t quickly forget a pilgrimage back to the cradle of civilization. One place I find myself returning often in my dreams is Kom Ombu Temple, the temple of neutrality along the banks of the Nile. This temple has two distinct sides. One is devoted to Horus, the falcon-headed god of fertility and protection; and the other, Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility and power. With the union of these attributes, it is apparent how this temple holds healing energy.
In the hot sand and high sun I walked the paths of this temple. Along the line of neutrality which runs through the middle of the structure are many hieroglyphs depicting Ancient Egyptian medicine. Egyptians believed that only in a neutral zone can true healing occur. In a lesser traveled corridor behind the temple are hieroglyphs of childbirth as well as ancient surgical instruments which look astoundingly familiar to what is used today! A hieroglyph at the midpoint of this hallway is a description of the 6 senses as recognized by our ancestors. These include sight, touch, hearing, taste, smell, and… mind. MIND. Yes, the mind was revered as a sense. I like to think of this sense as intuition, the 6th sense when we “just know” or have that gut feeling. I find it amazing to think that this actually was a sense recognized in ancient times. When did we stop recognizing our intuition as a genuine gift? Was it a by-product of the patriarchy and power? Or was negating human intuition the original sin that created human weakness by denying individuals the power of their own mind? And by eschewing intuition, we began to deny the divine power in each one of us. One by one we each lost our way and our connection with the divine. I have a strong intuitive belief that one by one, we can each find our way back to the divine. It must be reclaimed alone by ourselves and our one on one personal connection to ourselves.
Depiction of the Six Senses
MBSR Course Online
If you would like to explore your own gift of intuition, I invite you to the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course starting September 25 at 4:30 with orientation, all are welcome. This is the zoom link.
- Class 1 begins Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 9 AM -11:30 AM.
- Classes will continue at this time every Wednesday through November 19.
- There will be an all-day (7 hour) class the weekend of November 8/9 with participants choosing the specific day at orientation.
Returning to our intuition begins with becoming familiar with our breath and our connection to the present moment. The rest is to be experienced because the journey is different for everyone. I hope to see you there.
I have observed the level of day to day stress increase over the past year. To make an impact, I'm teaching this class free of charge.
- While it will be offered completely free, credit card information will be collected upon enrollment.
- For those who drop out or miss 3 or more sessions, the usual course price of $500 will be charged to their credit card.
Register for MBSR Here
You must use coupon code COMMIT to register for free.
There is a $20 fee for refunds if the coupon is neglected.
End of Summer Recipe
As I compose this newsletter, I’m working as a traveling doctor delivering babies in Washington State. I occasionally get out on some luscious green trails with ferns, squirrels, evergreens and invasive blackberry bushes. I can’t help but stop and fill my mouth several times during my walk. The season for summer berries and stone fruits is short. Many people fill their freezers and make jams and jellies for the winter. When one is avoiding sugar, even though these jams and jellies are delicious, they are not great for those with glucose regulation difficulties like PCOS, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome. Here’s a twist on the farmhouse favorite of seasonal fruit jam and jelly that gives us all the benefits of the phytonutrients and fiber in the fruit without the toll on our insulin levels.
Chia Seed Jam
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit* (see below)
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional)
Heat fruit in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the fruit is heated and begins to break down and bubble. Mash the fruit with a spoon, fork, or potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in chia and lemon juice until well combined. Add sweetener to taste.
Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Give the jam a final good stir to disperse the chia seeds evenly.
Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
*Fruits that work well are berries (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), stone fruits (cherries, peaches, apricots, plums) and other juicy fruits like kiwi, pineapple, mango.
If you’d like an alternative to bread for spreading check out the brand Pacha which is found in the frozen section at our local Whole Foods in Sedon and Flagstaff. It’s also available online. The ingredients on the original recipe: sprouted buckwheat, salt. That’s it.
Buckwheat isn’t a grain as the name leads us to believe. It’s a seed from a plant related to rhubarb and is completely suitable for those of us on restricted diets including gluten-free or the IFM Elimination Diet. Pacha makes outstanding English muffins. Their bread loaves come in original, whole grain or rye options. Let me know what you think. It’s changed my world.
Responses