"Tom Cruise, Please come out of the closet."
Posted on 12/01/2005 5:59:43 AM PST by Qwertrew
Tom Cruise hasn't made many friends within the medical community lately.
First the American Psychiatric Association slammed the actor for referring to psychiatry as a "pseudoscience," calling Cruise's remarks "irresponsible." Now the American College of Radiology is up in arms over Cruise's admission that he purchased a sonogram machine and uses it to perform at-home ultrasounds on fiancee Katie Holmes.
The ACR issued a statement warning that Cruise and Holmes could potentially harm their unborn baby by performing ultrasounds without the benefit of a doctor's supervision
"This is a patient safety issue. Untrained people, even if they have the financial means, should not buy, or be allowed to buy and operate, ultrasound machines which are, in fact, medical devices and should not be used without a medical indication," said Dr. Carol M. Rumack, chair of the ACR Ultrasound Commission.
Cruise gushed about his purchase to Barbara Walters during an interview for her special Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2005, which aired Tuesday.
"I bought a sonogram machine," Cruise told Walters during the interview, which was taped Oct. 30. "I am going to donate it to a hospital when we are done."
Somewhat startled, Walters replied, "Wait, you are going to do your own sonogram?"
"Yes," Cruise replied, chuckling.
The couch-jumping thesp told Walters that he did not know the sex of his offspring, but that he saw "a little baby" when he performed the ultrasound.
Cruise's purchase is estimated to have set him back anywhere from $15,000 to $200,000. However, the ACR is not convinced that the War of the Worlds star fully understands the complexities of the device.
"The ACR is concerned that Tom Cruise has been badly advised regarding the use and potential abuse of ultrasound," Dr. Rumack stated. "There are many abnormalities that may be missed by the untrained eye. Also, if it is not medically necessary, the use of ultrasound raises unnecessary physical risk to the fetus."
The ACR isn't the only organization concerned about Cruise's personal sonogram machine. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the actor may even be violating the law by possessing the device.
"Persons who promote, sell or lease ultrasound equipment for making 'keepsake' fetal videos should know that FDA views this as an unapproved use of a medical device," the FDA stated. "In addition, those who subject individuals to ultrasound exposure using a diagnostic ultrasound device (a prescription device) without a physician's order may be in violation of state or local laws or regulations regarding use of a prescription medical device."
Cruise's representatives did not respond to requests for comment on the sonogram issue.
Meanwhile, Cruise and Holmes have been taking a break from their at-home ultrasound project while spending time in Shanghai, where Cruise has been filming scenes for Mission: Impossible 3.
At a press roundup Wednesday, Cruise grabbed a cell phone from a reporter who dared to take a call during the event and began chatting to the surprised party at the other end.
"Put her on the phone. I want to talk to her," Cruise demanded, asking to talk to the female caller, whom he presumed to be the reporter's girlfriend.
"Hello. Xiexie. Ni hao. Are you good?" said Cruise, throwing out the Chinese words for "thank you" and "hello" like a natural.
"Are you good? Are you working?" he asked. "Are you going to get engaged? Soon? Maybe?"
After a translator stepped in to assist, it was revealed that the caller was actually the reporter's wife.
"Tell her I wish her happiness," Cruise said.
On the subject of his own wedding, Cruise remained teasingly elusive.
"You want to know where we're gonna get married? The exact date? The exact place? The color dress, designer?" he quizzed reporters. "You know, we haven't set a date...It will happen next year."
"Tom Cruise, Please come out of the closet."
LOL!
Very funny, my opinion for what it's worth, if they guy wants to drop 200,000 and take umpteen million pictures of his kid, it's his business.
The docs are all concerned, but what they're not saying is that if the sonogram picked up Down's syndrome, or another defect, they'd be advising the patient on abortion, so it seems a little weird that they're worried that the sonogram will harm the baby, when the same docs wouldn't blink an eye if a couple wanted to abort a baby.
Interesting, isn't it?
Of course, it could also be that UStechs all over are upset that their gig is up, and now we all know that anyone can buy a machine and administer an ultrasound.
Oh for heavens sake... next he will be announcing he will be delivering the baby at home, probably by c-section. Oh and don't forget, he will be the one breastfeeding this poor little one. I think we should set up a fund to help the child escape from his dad. "Free the wee one".
I fear prolonged exposure , daily viewing, maybe hourly with freaky parents like this,could harm the baby. No study has been done with exposure rates this long.
My understanding is there is some concern about exposure to the sonogram. It's not clear, long term, what effects the exposure might be.
Many years ago shoe stores had xray machines as a sales gimmick to show parents that the shoes fit. Who knows how many cases of leukemia were caused by that.
And in fact, they are.
If you are over a certain age, or there is an indication of a high risk pregnancy, you are usually assigned to a facility where they take detailed images that take about an hour, once a week.
This is all about the people that charge upthe @$$ for such treatment protecting their piece of the pie.
Agreed, or at the least, they should only operate as an advisory to people not create medical monopolies by Fiat.
But....what if those condition are present, and Cruise DOESN'T pick them up?
And do we yet know the effects of frequent ultrasounds on a developing baby's hearing?
I couldn't care less if Cruise uses his millions to build a 20-story pez dispenser to honor the memory of the Elephant Man. But to take unnecessary risks with the life of your unborn child seems, to me, to be selfish and arrogant.
Can't help but worry.....
Entire episode..
http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=RRVlUuI89cQ
What are you advocating? Rebuking people's freedoms until sufficient studies are conducted?
My thoughts too....there are so many unknowns about the long term effects on the fragile fetus of anything unnatural. Like subjecting it to low level sound waves.
That is why most pregancies are monitored by perhaps one sonogram...more only if there is some high risk that justifies using the procedure multiple times. And this from a guy who claims to be all natural. Stupid Tommy-boy may just "buzz" evil thetans right out of "baby TomKat".
My secret wish is to see him get an ADHD kiddo, so he can see how well scientology vitamins work.
Imagine "Daddy" performing ultrasounds at will in his home. If he wanted to do this to a pet baby whale, PETA and the SPCA would all over his tail.
Maybe he thinks he'll be able to see if the baby has any body thetans before it's born and starts accumulating engrams.
something is wrong with TOM OVERPAID CRUISE!
I think the jury is still out on safety of repeated use of ultrasounds. I'm pregnant now and the pregnancy discussion forum I participate in has posters with various views and various advice from doctors on this. My own doctor told me they only schedule 2 ultrasounds during the pregnancy unless there are complications. She said she was just being prudent because there are conflicting opinions.
After two kids in which I was with my wife for all of the ultrasounds, they never mentioned any thing about possible harm to the baby. No forms to sign. Nothing.
In fact, my wife had about triple the amount of ultrasounds done during each pregnancy due to complications.
Ahh, Tom Cruise America's next Michael Jackson.
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