Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 1999 Aug; 10(3): 663-71, ix-x.

Treatment of musculoskeletal pain with traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

Arnold MD, Thornbrough LM.

Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, USA.

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) uses naturally occurring plant, animal, and mineral substances to treat or assist in the treatment of the full spectrum of human disease. With the rise in popularity of alternative or complementary medicine, all physicians will encounter patients using TCHMs. TCHM should be taken under the supervision of a provider whose herbal training and competence is commensurate with the intensity of the herbal regimen and the severity of the clinical condition. TCHM can be valuable in the treatment of all kinds of pain: either as primary or adjunctive therapy depending on the clinical situation. TCHM therapies are prescribed in the framework of a unique diagnostic approach, and are highly specific with regard to type of pain and location of pain.