A specialist in herbal medicine has arrived on the Island to share his knowledge with the public.

Pharmacist Adil Saleh flew in from Vancouver, British Columbia on Wednesday to host a session on Complimentary Medicine today at City Hall.

The lecture is just one of several events being held in recognition of Pharmacy Awareness Week and organised by Phoenix Stores and Boehringer Ingelheim.

An advertisement placed in The Royal Gazette explained the session's slogan as: "For Your Good Health'' and added that those who attend can "learn about the benefits -- and the myths -- of multivitamins, minerals, herbs and supplements.'' Back in Canada, Mr. Saleh is president of MasterMynde Consulting, a company that specialises in teaching health care professionals about complementary, or natural, medicine.

Recently Manager of Professional Services for Pharmasave National, the fifth largest pharmacy chain organisation in Canada, he graduated with a B.Sc (Pharm.) degree from the University of Alberta in 1993.

Additionally, Mr. Saleh is a guest lecturer at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Medicine and has given more than 140 lectures to pharmacists, doctors, dentists and the public.

He said: "Complementary medicine has become a creative exercise for marketing gurus. I view my job as helping pharmacists understand the pitfalls and opportunities in the field while, at the same time, upholding the highest standards of practice.

"For pharmacists to make an impact and gain personal fulfilment they must be well acquainted with information and resources to make sound decisions which they can convey to their patients about complementary medicine.'' Mr. Saleh added: "I feel that doing this sort of thing is my mission in life.

Over my years, I've developed quite a knowledge base on the subject and I can use it to help people make accurate decisions.'' On his first visit to Bermuda with his wife and two children, the pharmacist said he was enjoying his stay so far and added that the Island "has a sort of small town feel to it. It's nice''.

The lecture begins today at 12.15 p.m. at City Hall's Bermuda Society of Arts, Upper Level.

Also recognising Pharmacy Awareness Week will be Somerset's Caesar's Pharmacy and Bermuda Pharmacy which will be offering free blood pressure tests and dump bottles for expired and unused medications from patients.

To your health: Canadian pharmacist and businessman Adil Saleh will be sharing his experiences with natural medicine when he hosts a lecture at 12.15 p.m.

today. He speaks -- as part of Pharmacy Week celebrations -- at Hamilton City Hall's Upper Level, admission is free.

HEALTH HTH