Tom Cruise is in the news again. If you haven’t heard, he’s got a new girlfriend, the much-younger Katie Holmes. They each have a blockbuster movie coming out this summer, so the publicity can’t hurt either of them. If Tom would just stick to promoting his movie and enthusing about his newfound love life, I wouldn’t have any complaint with him. I mean, live and let live, right? But Tom is imposing his opinions, beliefs, misinformed judgments or whatever else you want to call them, all over the place. His target? Actress and now author, Brooke Shields. Brooke has just written a book chronicling her battle with post-partum depression. I applaud Brooke for her honest and straight-forward account of this debilitating condition that so many women go through without even knowing what it is. After her child was born, this usually easy-going, productive, intelligent woman fell into the depths of despair. She couldn’t function, and questioned her very existence. So after much research, she finally took her doctor’s advice and went on an anti-depressant medication. It was enough to get her over the hump and it very likely saved her life. So why would Tom Cruise, who as far as we all know has never given birth, never suffered from depression, and is not a medical doctor, condemn Brooke’s very personal decision? Because he’s a Scientologist. And Scientologists don’t believe in “mind altering” medications. He has said in the press that there is “no science” to prove that anti-depressants are effective. According to Tom, Brooke could have cured her depression with vitamins and exercise. Hello? Tom, have you ever heard of a PET scan? Is that not science enough for you? Puh-leez! Do some research! Better yet, have some compassion. I’m the first one to get on board with any kind of natural remedy. I wrote a book “The Healthy Family Handbook: Natural Remedies for Parents and Children.” But I also know that there are certain things that western science can do that nothing else can. If someone were facing surgery, say they needed a tumor taken out to relieve excruciating pain, would Tom suggest that they take a vitamin and walk around the block instead? Physical pain is no different than emotional pain. One starts in the body, the other starts in the brain. The mind and body are intricately linked. God made man, and made us intelligent, and intelligence made anti-depressants, so to me those medications are no less from God than vitamins. Taken in the right circumstances, under a doctor’s care, they can help people. And they certainly were able to help Brooke Shields. Who is Tom to argue with that? Who is he to judge? He is certainly entitled to make his own decisions, for himself, but to judge another person as he did is not only cruel, it’s criminal. Will some other woman going through post-partum depression feel guilty taking her doctor’s advice and instead of taking necessary medication, take a vitamin? Why should she suffer for Tom’s arrogance? Tom may play the hero in the movies, but in this instance, he’s playing the villain – the ignorant, self-important, destructive bad guy.