Craig E. Brown, MD, FAAFP
Medical Educator • Inventor • Author
About
Dr. Craig E. Brown is a medical educator, inventor, and retired family physician based in Illinois. After thirty-six years in family medicine and urgent care — caring for more than 25,000 patients — he retired from clinical practice in 2023 and now devotes his work to teaching physicians, medical students, residents, science educators, and parents about vacuum-mediated infant feeding stress and the systematic thinking that led to its discovery.
In 1992, Dr. Brown discovered that vacuum formation in standard unvented baby bottles transmits pressure through the eustachian tube to the middle ear — causing the pain and distress widely diagnosed as colic. His invention of the vented bottle system, now manufactured and distributed worldwide as Dr. Brown's® bottles, has helped millions of families. His peer-reviewed research on vacuum-mediated infant feeding stress was published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology.
He is the author of the forthcoming medical memoir Why Babies Don't Smile All the Time: Understanding and Preventing Vacuum-Mediated Airplane Ear and Soda Stomach.
Dr. Brown holds a BA and MD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine (1984) and is board-certified in family medicine (FAAFP).
The Book
Coming Soon
Why Babies Don't Smile All the Time
Understanding and Preventing Vacuum-Mediated Airplane Ear and Soda Stomach
Craig E. Brown, MD, FAAFP
For a hundred years, physicians called it colic. They were looking in the wrong place.
Why Babies Don't Smile All the Time tells the story of eight weeks of infant screaming, one 1:17 AM discovery, and the simple three-word solution that took a century to find. Written for physicians, parents, and anyone who has ever questioned what everyone else accepts as normal.
The solution was always simple: Let air in.
To be notified when the book is available: craig@truvents.com
Teaching and Speaking
Dr. Brown speaks regularly with physicians, residents, medical students, hospital staffs, science educators, and parents on the following topics:
Vacuum-Mediated Infant Feeding Stress The complete mechanism — vacuum formation, eustachian tube pressure transmission, airplane ear, soda stomach, and prevention. Suitable for grand rounds, NICU staff education, pediatric practice teams, and parenting groups.
Cross-Domain Clinical Reasoning How problems that live between specialties get missed — and how to find them. For medical students, residents, and practicing physicians who want to think beyond their training framework.
Systematic Elimination as a Diagnostic Methodology The organic chemistry framework applied to clinical diagnosis. How to think when you don't know the answer. For medical students, educators, and science teachers.
Domain Blindness and Professional Myopia Why expertise creates blind spots — and how to recognize and overcome them. For physicians, engineers, educators, and anyone who solves problems across disciplines.
Prevention Thinking vs. Downstream Treatment Finding the root cause instead of managing symptoms. The bottle story as a model for upstream thinking in medicine and beyond.
Presentations range from thirty minutes to three hours and are available by phone, video, or in person for:
Medical schools and teaching hospitals
Hospital grand rounds
NICUs and pediatric practices
Medical student and resident education programs
Science teacher conferences and professional development
Parenting organizations and childbirth education programs
To inquire about a presentation or seminar: craig@truvents.com
Contact
Craig E. Brown, MD, FAAFP Truvents Press Illinois
For speaking requests, media inquiries, book notifications, or questions about vacuum-mediated infant feeding stress — reach out directly. Every inquiry receives a personal response.
© 2025 Craig E. Brown, MD, FAAFP Published by Truvents Press All rights reserved.
Dr. Brown's® is a registered trademark. All clinical information on this site is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Parents concerned about infant feeding should consult their pediatrician.