Pacific Pride Foundation proudly provides services to the HIV/AIDS and LGBT communities of Santa Barbara County. All of our programs are free or low cost and offered in English and Spanish through our offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

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You can donate to PPF whenever you use your Ralph's card. Please sign up here (use NPO code "82904") and make sure you re-register every year.

Health & Health Professionals

Health & Hormones

This is a very big topic, and very important to you.

Hormones

Hormones aren't a total mystery, but T's are venturing into untested waters, with only a few reliable surveys or studies available. Hormones made your body the way it is, and they can change much of it the other way. Best to find a doctor knowledgeable enough to prescribe. If you self-medicate, please, please, please, go slow. Too much hormones too fast puts you at risk specifically of heart disease and breast cancer.

What Can Hormones Do or Not Do?

Change your bone structure — probably not. Breasts, whiskers, where the fat goes, skin softness — yes, definitely. Voice — no; you need to practice and study for that. Adam's apple, jaw, hairline — not by hormones; surgery and plugs might help. Genitalia — hardly at all; surgery is probably the only way, and not always successful.

Gender Reassignment Surgery

Costly, and only a few physicians in the U.S. will do it. Thailand now has several doctors at good rates, though without the safeguards. No guarantees in any event. M2F operations are "easier" than F2M, and usually more successful. Is surgery necessary? No, and many T's elect not to have it. After a successful operation, as one T put it, "the plumbing works, and so does the electricity." That's not always the case (even with real women).

Other Medicines

You can find drugs for stopping or even reversing male pattern baldness, testosterone blockers (one of which is illegal in the U.S., skin treatments. Estrogen comes in several varieties, so do your research on the F2M or M2F forums for up-to-date personal information. A few newsgroups and private mailing lists specialize in self-medication information.

Medical/Health Practitioners and Therapists Misc. Medical and Health Practitioners: Denise Taylor, MD Specializing in Hormone Therapy Community Health Center 1551 Bishop St Suite B-260 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805-269-1350 Accepts Medi-cal/Cencal, most private insurance carriers, cash clients and sliding scale rates may be available depending on eligibility. Richard Horowitz, MD Specializing in Hormone Therapy 310-358-7200 8635 W 3rd St # 885w Los Angeles, CA 90048 Lauren Hope Peterson, L.Ac., L.M.T. Acupuncture, Massage & Herbal Consultation (805) 252-9344 email Dr. Kevin English, Chiropractor 5370 Hollister Ave., Suite I Santa Barbara, CA 93111 (805) 964-9839 Dr. Anne Boone, R.N., D.C. 5370 Hollister, Suite A Santa Barbara, CA 93111 (805) 683-2373 email Mary Anne Silvestri, MA, Mac, Lac Family Acupuncture Center 1500 A Chapala Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 966-4050 Dr. Pramila Patel, Dentist 141 N Fairview Ave Goleta, CA 93117 (805) 967-1197 Santizo, Wendy, F OD - Optometry Care 1629 State St # 1 Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 569-2318 Therapists: Ethel Zivotofsky, MFT, LCSW (805) 965-0923 Suzanne E Rapley, Ph.D. 115 W. Arrellaga St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 963-3329 Jill Yeomans, M.S. MFT 1018 Garden St., Suite 102, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 963-5727 Janice Hamilton, MFT 2828 Clinton Terrace Santa Barbara, CA (805) 682-6274 Pacific Pride Foundation Sharon Bettis 126 East Haley St., Suite A-11, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 963-3636 Rebecca Edwards, Therapist 2569 Golden GT Ave. Summerland, CA (805) 963-7714 Diana Ferrari, Therapist 621 Chapala St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 965-6830 Dr. Gary Linker (805) 969-7084.