Every year graduates of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine enter the workforce with the tools of their education at hand. A combination of compassion, ingenuity, and business savvy leads many to success in the field of Oriental medicine. One such alumnus is Ryan Altman. After graduating from PCOM, San Diego in 2005, Ryan began his own non-profit organization, and with the help of his partner, Geoff Barrett, their company, Alternative Healing Network, is now well known throughout San Diego County.

The Alternative Healing Network is a group committed to the increased education of the public, medical community, and insurance companies about alternative medical options. Alternative medicine includes acupuncture, massage, dietary changes, and physical exercises like tai ji and other meditative fitness. By creating this organization, Ryan hopes to promote the use of alternative medicine in conjunction with Western practices to provide optimal health - physically, spiritually, and mentally. A large aspect of his work is getting information out there about alternative medicine; education is the first step to promote these integrative forms of healing and to make it available to the masses. To accomplish this, Alternative Healing Network began the annual Healing Arts Festival.

The Healing Arts Festival began in 2004, and has successfully doubled its numbers of attendants each year. First held in Balboa Park with about 2,500 participants and 28 exhibitors, last year's festival hosted 12,000 attendees and over 60 exhibitors in a single day. The festival combines music (a healing art in itself) with free education about alternative healing to promote healthy living. This year on May 4th, 2008, Balboa Park will be the venue for the fourth annual Healing Arts Festival, which will feature a Main Stage for musical performances and speakers, a Workshop Area for classes, presentations, and workshops, a Meditation Garden for Zen relaxation, and also a Kid's Zone for family entertainment. The festival offers a wide variety of alternative healing arts and information for people of all ages to pursue and begin healthier lifestyles.

Since 2007, Ryan has also put together Integrative Health Nights through the Alternative Healing Network. These nights are held at local community centers primarily in the areas of City Heights and Southeastern San Diego - in areas that might otherwise never have been exposed to such information. The Integrative Health Nights are free and offer massage and acupuncture treatments, energy healing, and classes in yoga, qi gong, and nutrition. An interesting component to these events is that they also incorporate Western medicine, and provide free Western medical exams and consultations.

Integrative Health Nights are great opportunities for both the public to learn about new forms of medicine as well as for practitioners and students to make a difference and give to the community. With the use of his experiences and education at PCOM, Ryan Altman took the initiative to spread the benefits of natural healing through creative means. OM