Abstract
Recently, Oriental medicine appears to be playing a more important role in the practice of pain clinic. Among the various modalities of its treatment, Kampo (herbal) medicine and acupuncture/moxibustion are the two main strategies which have been utilized for pain patients for centuries. Some Kampo remedies can be prescribed successfully without the deep knowledge and understanding of Oriental medicine, although this is rarely the case in difficult pain problems. In acupuncture, there are also some effective input programs for pain patients which can be performed with limited knowledge and techniques. These are, however, often regarded as symptomatic treatments which often have a merely temporary effect. A complete and systematic acupuncture treatment can only be accomplished when root therapy (radical therapy) is incorporated with the more sophisticated Oriental diagnosis and treatments. For pain problems, diagnosis of “deficiency and fullness”, “Qi, blood, and body fluids”, or “Zang Fu”, based upon classic Chinese literature and textbooks, is especially important and the patients should be treated accordingly.
