Here's a small mystery to me. My mother fed my little sister for several years with a feeding tube. It's not fun, but it's not nuclear physics. I'd like to hear why Terri's parents can't do the same.
By the way, who's paying for Terri's care?
This, from Harvard's Quack Watch, doesn't say much for the credentials of Dr. Hammesfahr.
Conclusion
The theoretical basis for Hammesfahr's vasodilation treatment for stroke clashes with current knowledge about stroke physiology. In fact, the prevailing current belief is that such treatments should worsen stroke outcome, not improve it. I believe that vasodilation treatment for stroke patients should be done only as part of an approved peer-reviewed protocol that includes informed consent about the treatment's experimental status and possible risks. Because of the potential risk, I doubt that an institutional review board would permit such a study unless animal studies can demonstrate that the treatment is safe and potentially useful.
Reference
1. 93886, 93888: Transcranial Doppler studies. The Florida Medicare B Update, Nov/Dec 1999.
_____________________
Dr. Novella, a member of Quackwatch's advisory board, is Assistant Professor of Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine and president of the The New England Skeptical Society.