Although chiropractic focuses on the detection and correction of vertebral subluxation, D.C.s recognize that it is only one of the vital components of a healthful lifestyle. Everything from posture and exercise to positive thinking and sleep habits contribute to one's overall well-being.

The one factor that probably has the most direct affect -- and gets most of the attention -- is food. How many times have you had a patient admit to being a "junk food junkie" who grabbed a quick MacDonald's hamburger before stopping by your office? These are the people who consider milk shakes a food group and think a table setting consists of eight styrofoam containers and matching plastic forks.

As a health professional, you know better and probably would like a way to introduce patients -- as well as your staff, family and friends -- to the benefits of proper diet.

Or, perhaps you are already a proponent of natural foods, looking for a good source of products you can rely on for quality and value.

In either case, the Gold Mine Natural Food Company is the ideal answer.

Gold Mine Natural Food Company was founded in 1985 by Jean Richardson, who continues to lead the company as its president. "I had gained such tremendous personal benefit from learning to eat a healthy, balanced diet that I wanted to share this great food with the whole world," she explains.

Ms. Richardson studied macrobiotics in Boston during the 1970s, and made contacts with a network of organic farmers and manufacturers of natural foods. When she arrived in San Diego in 1985, she was shocked to find very few sources of macrobiotic staple foods. Wanting to have the "good stuff" she knew was available back east, the only practical way to get it was in bulk.

She traded solar-dried Mexican sea salt for organic miso (fermented soybean paste) handmade in Massachusetts, organic black soybeans and aduki beans from Ohio, and heirloom millet, oats and barley from Saskatchewan.

Sharing the abundance of unique organic foods with friends and local natural food stores was easy. People recognized the quality and appreciated Richardson's enthusiasm.

From its painstaking beginning of homemade foods, hand-lettered labels and price lists, the company has grown into an internationally recognized importer and distributor of traditional macrobiotic foods from Japan and organic products from around the world.

As people become more aware of the connection between food and health, the demand for organic food is growing. Gold Mine has a reputation of being a pioneer in providing "heirloom quality" foods. These are traditional varieties that have been grown for many generations, without hybridization of the strain or genetic alterations.

Richardson explains that, in today's rush to get more fiber and whole grains into the diet, many consumers are seeking nutritional satisfaction from an ever-expanding array of hybridized and synthetic commercial foods.

Unfortunately, she notes, these hybrids and synthetics inevitably leave consumers feeling empty and incomplete because the food itself is lacking. Many times these products are grown from hybridized seed in depleted, chemical soil, or even worse, are genetically engineered in completely unnatural ways, with unknown risks and effects.

"Then they're processed until they're almost completely devoid of nutrition," she says. "No wonder people are always looking for something else to munch on -- at the cellular level, they can't get any satisfaction!"

Eating a variety of heirloom grains provides more "genetic diversity" in one's diet, more essential trace nutrients in their natural state.

In addition to heirloom grains, beans and seeds, Gold Mine imports heirloom quality, traditional foods from Japan. The company's best-selling product -- organic, unpasteurized soy sauce -- is made with mountain spring water and aged four years in 150-year-old cedarwood kegs like fine wine. Other health treasures include unpasteurized organic miso, shiitake and maitake mushrooms, lotus root, sea vegetables, kukicha and green tea.

To meet the growing market for special diets, Gold Mine has expanded its offerings even further. It now offers vegan food products, as well as organic sprouting seeds, dried fruits, raw nuts and nut butters. In addition, it provides products for chemically sensitive people or those who require special items such as gluten-free food.

The company's goal isn't only to sell more food, though, it is to provide "right livelihood through environmental stewardship," as the company's official mission statement puts it.

Richardson herself is a hardcore idealist and will not knowingly sell genetically engineered foods, irradiated foods, or foods that contain chemical additives, preservatives, food colorings, or highly refined sweeteners.

Every year since 1994, Gold Mine has won numerous awards from the city and state for its exemplary "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" program. In 2001, the company won the California E.P.A. Integrated Waste Management Board's "Connection of the Year Award."

Because she knows the direct connection between wellness and a healthy diet, Richardson is eager to work with health care professionals to educate people about natural foods and give them a convenient way to order products from Gold Mine.

After learning about the World Chiropractic Alliance and the work it is doing to protect the right of all people to obtain subluxation-correction care, Richardson felt the partnership of WCA members and Gold Mine would be a "natural."

As an incentive to WCA members to encourage healthy lifestyles, Richardson announced that Gold Mine will reduce its regular wholesale minimum requirement of $250 by 50% for members of the WCA. (There is no minimum for retail orders.)