Dr. Xuelong Huang, the Earliest Founder of "Scalp Acupuncture-Zones Therapy".

Background: There were controversies in academic circles regarding who was the founder of Scalp Acupuncture (SA), while Dr. Yunpeng Fang or Dr. Shunfa Jiao claimed themselves as the earliest founder and some believe that SA was founded by Dr. Xuelong Huang (Huang) in the 1950s. Aim: To investigate Huang and his acupuncture practice and research, to uncover the history of Huang's contribution to SA therapy. Methods: Huang and his SA therapy are introduced and discussed in five aspects, including the transformation from a local traditional scholar in the late Qing Dynasty to an expert in acupuncture-moxibustion, the formation of scalp acupoints and acu-zones, clinical indications, multiple stimulation modalities, and clinical experience. Results: The fact is that in the 1950s, Huang was the first to develop SA therapy. Its theoretical basis is that the 14 Channels and the brain are a sole system: when divided, they are demonstrated as 14 Channels, and when combined, the Channels are all unified in the brain. The longitudinal stimulating line (acu-zones) is located on the scalp above the sagittal suture, centered at the Conclusion: Starting by Huang, the main operating method of all schools of SA is using needles to penetrate acupoints on the scalp instead of stimulating every single acupoint, and the stimulating methods are becoming more and more diverse, it is suggested to change the term "scalp acupuncture" to "scalp acu-zones therapy" for reflecting the real clinical practice.