This Privacy Policy explains how Herbernie International ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website or use our services.
Herbernie International is a natural health practice based in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa, led by Dr. Bernard Lurie, N.D. We are the responsible party (operator) under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
By using this website or booking a consultation, you confirm that you have read and understood this policy.
Payment is processed by our third-party payment provider. We do not collect or store your card details.
When you visit our website, we may collect standard technical data such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited. This is used only for website performance and analytics purposes.
We collect your personal information in the following ways:
We do not purchase, rent, or obtain personal information from third-party data brokers.
| Purpose | Information used |
|---|---|
| To process and confirm your consultation booking | Name, email, phone |
| To deliver your health assessment results | Name, email, questionnaire responses |
| To provide treatment and follow-up care | Health information, contact details |
| To send appointment reminders | Email, WhatsApp number |
| To send health updates or relevant information (where consented) | |
| To comply with legal and regulatory obligations | Health records, contact details |
| To improve our website and services | Anonymised usage data |
We will not use your information for any purpose beyond what is described here without your consent.
Under POPIA, we process your personal information on the following grounds:
Because we process special personal information (health data), we do so only with your explicit consent, or where necessary to carry out your treatment.
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in the following limited circumstances:
Any third party we work with is required to handle your information securely and in accordance with POPIA.
We retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law.
When information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.
We take the security of your personal information seriously. Our measures include:
No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. While we take every reasonable precaution, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately.
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond within a reasonable time and in accordance with POPIA requirements.
Information Regulator contact: inforeg@justice.gov.za
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to understand how visitors interact with the site. This data is aggregated and anonymised — it is not linked to your personal identity.
We do not use cookies to serve targeted advertising. If we introduce analytics or advertising tools in future, this policy will be updated accordingly.
You can control cookies through your browser settings at any time. Disabling cookies may affect some functionality of the site.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The current version is always available at this URL, with the revision date noted at the top.
If we make material changes that affect how we use your health information, we will notify you directly by email where we hold your contact details.
For any questions about this policy, to request access to your information, or to exercise your POPIA rights:
We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 5 business days.