The awards (opens new window) are hosted by the Pharmacy Guild of NZ and Pharmacy Today.

Martin Harris is a previous winner of Best Complementary Healthcare Campaign, in 2012:

To win this award you need to have come up with a complementary health promotion or ongoing programme that has contributed to improved retail result, in areas such as, vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition or homeopathy.

Mr Harris last year defended selling homeopathy (from Pharmacy Today):

Auckland pharmacist Martin Harris says there is good evidence for homeopathy in the field of quantum physics.

"There's no placebo-controlled, double-blind randomised controlled trials using one remedy and one result because homeopathy doesn't work that way, it works on energy,"

Mr Harris says.

Mr Harris, who specialises in nutrition medicine, admits he is no expert when it comes to homeopathy.

The Pharmacy Council Says:

YOU MUST:

Only purchase, supply or promote any medicine, complementary therapy, herbal remedy or other healthcare product where there is no reason to doubt its quality or safety and when there is credible evidence of efficacy.

There is no evidence that homeopathy is a treatment for any condition. The National Health and Medical Research Council in Aus confirmed this:

https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/health-topics/complementary-medicines/homeopathy-review (opens new window)

NHMRC concludes that there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective. Homeopathy should not be used to treat health conditions that are chronic, serious, or could become serious. People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness.

Australian pharmacist Grant McGill threw away all his homeopathic remedies, saying:

I've never promoted or recommended these products but I've accepted them passively and I felt a bit hypocritical having them on the shelves.

I operate a bit differently to corporate chains and believe a pharmacy should be professional rather than a place selling a lot of cosmetics.

If someone comes in with sleep problems, I will look at what is known to help and address things like sleep hygiene issues, rather than recommending flower essences.

http://honestuniverse.com/ (opens new window)