In his second year of medical school, Dr. Brian Thornburg, holistic and board-certified pediatrician and owner of Thornburg Pediatrics, in Naples, had an epiphany during a discussion with a professor. He recognized that he had more of an interest in health, addressing root causes and creating generational wellness than he did in medicine focused on sickness. “That’s when I decided to become a pediatrician,” says Thornburg, who notes that today’s health insurance model doesn’t allot enough doctor/patient time to get to the root cause or address generational wellness, which is why doctors that practice from a holistic or functional medicine perspective prefer payment directly rather than through a healthcare provider.

As a concierge pediatrician with a smaller practice, Thornburg is free to spend an hour with his patients and their family. Available after office hours and on weekends by cell phone, he also makes home visits for patients that are seriously ill. “I charge double because I am out of the office and unable to see another patient. I prefer office visits because I really don’t have a lot of time for home visits,” he says.

Practicing in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatricians guidelines and a family’s reasonable medical wishes, Thornburg approaches patients with his philosophy of raising a family and not just a child. “This means that after the initial honeymoon of bringing baby home and meeting baby’s demands, making sure baby is nursing well and there are no problems with breast and milk production, it’s time to bring family to the next level where baby is sleeping on schedule, no longer king or queen of the house, and I’m not needed as often, except when baby is sick, needs potty training or it’s time to introduce them to foods,” explains Thornburg.

Pediatrics is as much about taking care of children as it is educating the family about how to model an example for their children. “It’s about epigenetics and how good nutrition, as well as the parent’s behavior and that of other family members, helps to create the environment for genetic expression for good health. These are the key preventive measures for wellness and staying healthy. Nutritionally, if there are disruptions to the gut microbiome and the pattern repeats itself, I teach parents how to mitigate occurrences. When the children are a little older, I have conversations with parents regarding the vocabulary of children’s needs, which they all express differently. For example, a child that is hitting other children in school may be acting out. Hitting is often the means of control for a child because he/she is not allowed self-expression at home. In such a case, I might recommend an introduction to Marshall Rosenberg’s non-violent communications, which generally works,” advises Thornburg.

In practice in Naples since 2003, Thornburg has been interacting with his patients and their parents through the stages of infancy and adolescence since 2006. “I’ve enjoyed watching my patients grow up to be amazing individuals. I see them from infancy to age 18 or through college when visits are generally only about adolescent issues. I charge a reduced rate, and if and when they come home sick I see them, because it’s not easy to establish a patient rapport on a one-time visit with a different doctor. It doesn’t happen often because students generally use their school doctor or nurse practitioner.”

Thornburg believes that when we build our children’s health properly, it manifests physically, mentally and emotionally without resorting to synthetic drugs, which may be why one aspect of his philosophy is that kids of any age only want their parent’s love and attention. “Parents are so busy these days. When they are stressed out, they often forget that,” says the father of eight.

Thornburg Pediatrics is located at 5500 Bryson Dr., Ste. 301, in Naples. For more information call 239-348-7337 or visit ThornburgPediatrics.com.