Back in May you might have seen my colleague’s entry on allergy legislation that would require restaurants in the state of Massachusetts to notify people of possible allergens in their food while dining out. New Hampshire is the next state to jump on this allergy-free bandwagon.

Sen. Lou D’Allesandro (D-NH) is in the process of drafting a bill to make the state’s restaurants a bit more allergy friendly.

The bill would require all restaurants to “prominently display a poster about food allergy awareness in the staff area and to include on all menus a notice of the customer’s obligation to inform the server about any food allergies,” according to an article on seacoastline.com.

Sen. D’Allesandro’s bill is very similar to the Massachusetts bill, which was passed in the Massachusetts Senate in May and is now under consideration in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

I am very excited about the continued focus on food allergies by government officials and will keep you posted on how this bill progresses!

- Nita

A few days ago, I came across a great article in the Wall Street Journal Health blog. The blog, entitled, “Pushing Back When Insurers Deny Coverage for Treatment,” is all about the ways you can appeal insurance coverage denials.

Wonderful news for allergy parents in the state of Maine. I just found out that, according to a bill signed by Governor Baldacci on April 11, 2008, insurance coverage is now required for amino acid-based formula like Neocate in Maine!

“An Act To Protect the Health of Infants” requires health insurance carriers doing business in the state of Maine to provide coverage for all medically necessary infant formula in both individual and group policies, contracts and certificates.

The bill applies to all health insurance policies, contracts and certificates enacted on or after January 1, 2008 in Maine.

Under the bill, insurance coverage for amino-acid based elemental infant formula is required for children 2 years of age and under. This is definitely a step in the right direction, but of course we would like all children who need an AAB formula to be covered.

For more information on legislation, click here.

And for ways to get involved with your states legislation, click here.

Currently, there are 9 other states with similar legislation, including Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York. As I’ve said before, hopefully many other states will follow with similar legislation.

- Sarah

Restaurants in the state of Massachusetts are on the way to becoming more allergy friendly.

A bill that requires training on food-allergy issues for restaurant staff and the placement of a tag line on all menus advising diners to notify wait staff of any allergy concerns is under review in Massachusetts. The bill would also establish a program allowing restaurants to be certified as “food allergy friendly” if the establishment meets the strict requirements set forth by the law, including listing of all ingredients used in the restaurant on the menu.

The bill, sponsored by state Senator Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton), has already passed in the Massachusetts state Senate and is under review in the state House of Representatives.

A similar law has already been established in New Jersey.

On the national level, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) hosted a hearing entitled “Addressing the Challenge of Children with Food Allergies” on May 14. The purpose of which was to raise awareness to the need for increased funding of allergy research and training.

For more information and to listen to the testimonies that occurred at the hearing, visit Allergy Moms.

I hope, as I’m sure you do, that this legislation keeps on coming!

-Sarah

Hello Readers,

Last week, The Journal News, a newspaper in White Plains, NY ran an interesting story about a little girl who “can not eat food.” Three-year-old Hannah Devane has a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis(EE). It’s a very serious condition and many people don’t realize that food allergy is actually the principle cause of EE.

The story focused on the Devane family’s difficulty getting their insurance company to pay for the amino acid-based formula Hannah needs – which is really a shame. But discussion on the Journal News message board and on The Consumerist blog also showed me that there is a lot of confusion about EE. So, I thought I’d clear a few things up here.

• Kids with EE are allergic to the protein in foods such as milk, soy, nuts, eggs, etc. so the condition really limits their food choices.
• This allergy causes a build-up of white blood cells (eosinophils) in the esophagus which is a sign of inflammation. This inflammation causes difficulty swallowing, vomiting, regurgitation, and/or abdominal or chest pain. (The symptoms usually differ slightly for each kid.)
• Usually, EE kids can only have a very few “safe foods.” For Hannah Devone, it is rice and pears.
• Rice and pears alone cannot provide adequate nutrition for a 3-year-old.
• So, kids with EE rely on special amino acid-based medical foods (that won’t make them sick) to get the nutrition they need.
• Medical foods are not like vitamins or supplements you buy at a health food store. They have a special FDA designation, are deemed “medically necessary” for people with certain conditions, and families must have a recommendation from a healthcare professional to order them from the pharmacy or manufacturer.
• Some doctors do prescribe steroids for the EE symptoms so they can eat food, but steroids have not been shown to be as effective as amino acid-based medical foods and they can cause a lot of side effects.
• For more information, check out Act Against Allergy.

Be Well,
Dr. Y