What Is Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture?

Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture is a complete system of Acupuncture built on the scalp. Professor Ming Qing Zhu developed it over several decades of clinical work. It has its own zone map, its own needling methods and its own way of combining treatment with movement, and it starts from the TCM diagnosis an Acupuncturist already makes.

Dr Ru Shan Shy summed the system up in one line in our March 2026 webinar. Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture treats the brain in order to regulate the whole body.

This guide, for Acupuncturists and Chinese medicine students, covers where the system came from, how a treatment is put together, where it is applied, and safety and needle sensation. For courses, teachers and dates, see our Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture program page.

Where the system came from

Professor Ming Qing Zhu began developing the system in the 1960s. He built it by bringing classical Chinese medicine together with Western neuroanatomy, with neurological and complex chronic presentations particularly in mind.

The standard reference is the Colour Atlas of Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture by Professor Zhu and Moyee Siu, published by Zhu's Neuro-Acupuncture Center. The English edition dates from 2007, and there is a Chinese edition.

Professor Zhu taught at SustainHealth Academy seminars in 2018 and 2019. Our founder, Dr Scott Ling, trained under him directly. Today our Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture courses are taught by Dr Ru Shan Shy and Dr Sheng Chun Chang, who are also direct disciples of Professor Zhu. Both direct the Zhen Ding Shan Chinese Medicine Clinic in Taiwan and lecture at China Medical University.

How a ZSA treatment is built

ZSA has five working parts. Each one depends on the one before it, which is why the courses teach them in order.

Diagnosis. Treatment starts from a sound diagnosis, in TCM terms (including Zang Fu) and in Western medical terms. ZSA turns that diagnosis into a scalp prescription.

Zones. ZSA divides the scalp into 19 treatment zones rather than single points. The Du channel is the midline, and Du 20 sits at the centre like a Taiji, with the area in front of it on the yin side and the area behind it on the yang side. Each zone relates to a region or function of the body. Some carry TCM names, such as the Upper, Middle and Lower Jiao zones, and others relate to the head and face or to the limbs. Our guide to ZSA zones names all 19 and covers the map at overview level.

Needling. ZSA uses few needles, placed precisely, on a principle of minimal intervention. A treatment may use from one or two needles up to about twenty, depending on the case. The needles are very fine. Stimulation is by hand, never electrical, through ZSA's two manipulation methods, Jin Qi and Chou Qi. Professor Zhu reduced the many classical manipulations to these two, which tonify and reduce, and both are small in-and-out movements of the needle without twisting. Needles are often retained after the patient leaves the clinic.

Dao Yin. While the needles are in, the Acupuncturist guides qi to the affected area, and the patient takes part. Dao Yin can be active or passive, and it uses the intention of both patient and Acupuncturist. It can include, but isn't limited to, movement, listening to music, massage and body Acupuncture. Our teachers count it as about half of the treatment.

Reassessment. Function is checked again within the session, so the Acupuncturist can see what changed and adjust zone choice or stimulation. Over a course of care, your next decision then rests on observation rather than memory.

Because the ZSA needles sit in the scalp, the body stays free. Acupuncturists combine ZSA with body Acupuncture, Tung's points, Dr Tan's Balance Method or ear Acupuncture in the same session. The patient can stay seated, which helps with wheelchair users and with children.

How does Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture work?

ZSA explains itself in two languages at once. Its core theories come from TCM, including Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, the Zang Fu organs, Qi and Blood, and the meridians, alongside Western medical theory, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pathology.

In practice, our teachers read each case through both lenses side by side. In TCM terms, all the channels reach the head, the qi and blood of the Zang Fu rise to the brain, and the brain houses the Shen. Zone selection follows the pattern you have diagnosed. In neurological terms, stimulating the scalp is understood to act through the brain on the hypothalamus and pituitary, the autonomic nervous system, motor and sensory function, and the endocrine system.

The physiological mechanism is still being studied and is not settled. A responsible Acupuncturist can hold both explanations without overstating either.

What Acupuncturists use it for

ZSA is best known in neurological work. Acupuncturists apply it in the management of stroke sequelae, Parkinson's and tremor, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy and brain injury, alongside the patient's medical and rehabilitation care. Our teachers have used it in emergency departments, hospital wards and rehabilitation as well as in clinic.

It is also used across the everyday caseload. Acupuncturists apply it in pain and musculoskeletal presentations, digestive complaints, fertility support and menstrual disorders, menopausal symptoms, paediatric neurodevelopment, and mental health presentations such as anxiety and insomnia.

This list describes clinical scope for Acupuncturists, the areas you study and reason about. It is not a statement about how any patient will respond. Our Advanced courses take one area at a time: Neurology, Movement & Pain; Stroke & Brain Injury; Women's & Paediatric Health; Internal Medicine & Supportive Cancer Care; and Inflammation, Immunity & Healthy Longevity.

Scalp Acupuncture in general has been studied in clinical trials, many of them in China and many in stroke. Reviews of that research report mixed findings and note that study quality varies. Published research on Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture specifically is more limited.

Is Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture safe?

With clean needle technique and proper screening, ZSA carries the general considerations of any Acupuncture, plus a few of its own. The scalp is well supplied with blood, so bleeding or a small haematoma on withdrawal is common and is managed with firm pressure. Patients are treated seated or lying, as with any needling, in case of faintness.

Take particular care, or avoid needling, over skull defects or a surgical site, and over scalp infection, wounds or lesions. In infants, needle around an open fontanelle and never over it, and consider pricking without retaining the needle. Take the usual Acupuncture precautions with patients on anticoagulants or with a bleeding disorder. ZSA can be used for patients with epilepsy. A new or worsening neurological sign needs urgent medical assessment before any Acupuncture.

Stimulation strength matters. Our teachers warn that over-strong stimulation can make some patients worse, Parkinson's among them. Dr Scott Ling keeps stimulation very gentle in pregnancy, and treats acute brain bleeding only in a hospital setting, again with gentle stimulation. Retained needles stay in for a few hours up to three days. Patients go home with clear instructions on removing them and disposing of them safely, and children usually keep them for a shorter time.

Is it painful?

The needles are very fine and inserted shallowly, and our teachers describe ZSA manipulation as gentle and soft, with minimal discomfort. Patients' experience still varies, and technique matters. Acupuncturists working with children often start with fewer needles and add more as the child becomes familiar with treatment.

Learning it properly

A printed map shows where the zones are. Locating them on a real head, setting the right force and frequency of manipulation, and reading a patient's response to Dao Yin are hands-on skills learned with a teacher watching. Our teachers don't teach ZSA online, because they need to correct your manipulation on the spot.

The place to start is Basics of Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture, three days with Dr Shy and Dr Chang. About 40% of each day is hands-on practice, with 16 live patient demonstrations, and the course carries 19.5 CPD points. See the next Basics dates.