Scalp Acupuncture and Mental Disorders

Abstract

While conventional treatments for many mental problems remain problematic and unsatisfactory in therapeutic outcomes, there is great demand for an effective yet economical treatment method that can alleviate the suffering of psychiatric patients. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture on the scalp has been used for centuries. Not until recent decades did acupuncturists and clinicians develop new understandings and theories on the effect of scalp acupuncture. Upon elaboration on the therapeutic value of scalp acupuncture, it shows great potential in treating mental health disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and insomnia. Its profound treatment outcome in clinical use has caught clinicians' attention in recent years. However, controlled studies and investigations on its effect on psychiatric problems remain relatively small in number, and determinative evidence has yet to be found. In order to provide conclusive evidence on the use of scalp acupuncture to these disorders, more data from high-quality controlled trials are urgently needed. Since scalp acupuncture has advantages over the use of traditional acupuncture or body acupuncture in clinical and investigation settings, we are expecting a shift of attention from individualized acupuncture to a standardized universal scalp acupuncture treatment in clinical practice and academia.

Anatomical and Clinical Characteristics of Scalp Acupuncture Systems: a Scoping Review and Synthesis

“…Additionally, SA is a versatile treatment method suitable for patients of all ages, including children as young as three years old. [3][4][5]. SA was initially developed in the 1950s in China by combining traditional oriental medical knowledge with modern Western anatomy and neuroscience [4,[6][7][8].…”

“…[3][4][5]. SA was initially developed in the 1950s in China by combining traditional oriental medical knowledge with modern Western anatomy and neuroscience [4,[6][7][8]. SA as an independent system was separated from traditional Chinese acupuncture at the beginning of the 1970s [8].…”

“…SA, as included in the Standard International Acupuncture Nomenclature (SIAN) [9], is based on the work of Dr. Jiao ShunFa. Dr. Jia's SA system was among the several SA systems that emerged during the 1950-1980s [1,4]. The entire body's physiology and symptoms can be influenced through SA; therefore, SA can be defined as MicroSystem (MS) acupuncture [6,7].…”

“…The entire body's physiology and symptoms can be influenced through SA; therefore, SA can be defined as MicroSystem (MS) acupuncture [6,7]. Generally, standard treatment protocols for specific conditions are created within one SA system and replicated for identical cases [1,4,6,10,11]. However, the treatment protocols are Svetlana Wise and Ava Lorenc unique for every SA system, and there are no known standard protocols with consistent therapeutic outcomes that are universally applicable to the entire scope of SA.…”