Eating Well, a national consumer magazine on food and health, offered its first issue in July. ``Our intention,'' says publisher James M. Lawrence, ``is for this to be a magazine that one reads out of fascination and pleasure, not guilt. We think it should appeal to men and women with an uncommon curiosity about and love of good food, inspiring them to try new foods and new recipes, to strive for nutritional wellness without sacrificing the sensual pleasures of cooking and eating well.'' The first issue featured ``Something Fishy at the Seafood Counter,'' a look at the seafood industry. _ Reader's Digest launched the ``American Medical Association Home Medical Library'' this summer as part of a planned 18-volume series concerning health and medicine. Each volume will treat a different topic _ diagnosing disease, the heart, nutrition, drugs and the battle against infection _ and will be sold by direct mail. The first in the series is ``Practical Family Health.'' _ The complexities of filing claims for health care coverage can be bewildering for many, and they may not collect what they're entitled to, says the owner of a service to help patients or their relatives sort out claims paperwork. ``When a claimant is ill, paperwork is the last thing on his mind.'' says Serena Kalker, who started Medical Claims Assistance Co. in Brooklyn, N.Y., when she discovered that many clients of her husband's accounting firm were overwhelmed by the claims process. ``Many claimants just give up. So they pay huge medical bills. Meanwhile, the funds which are intended to reimburse them _ coverage they have paid for and to which they are entitled _ go uncollected.'' She says her service, with fees based on a percentage of recoveries, helps consumers avoid ``unexpected traps'' that can cost them money through lost or unqualified claims. ``We try to make sure that the individual doesn't cheat himself by filing overlapping claims that allow insurors to sidestep their responsibilities,'' she says. _ You're not goofing off. You're resting your eyes when you stare off into space, says the American Optometric Association. And it's a good idea to take a staring break for 10 minutes every hour or two you're occupied with eye-intensive activities such as using a computer, reading, watching television or playing video games. The association also advises using eye safety equipment for sports such as tennis, softball, or baseball or for home projects like cleaning and gardening. Also recommended are maximum protection sunglasses that block 75 to 90 percent of the light, which can help prevent cataracts and damage to the inside lining of the eye. Other eye protection tips include keeping room lighting soft but using lamps for reading, sewing, preparing food and other projects. Task lighting should be no more than three times brighter than the general room light. And cut room lighting in half for computer areas. _ Protect your ears, too. Noise is one of the biggest culprits in premature hearing loss, but you can take some simple measures to minimize it, according to the E-A-R Group of Cabot Corp., which makes soft foam earplugs and other protective devices. Close windows when noisy construction work is going on in your neighborhood. Don't sit too closely to the speakers at amplified concerts. Keep stereos and television volume at a reasonable level. These tips and other information, including warning signs of hearing loss, are in their booklet, ``A Helpful Guide to Ear Protection.'' For a copy, write the company at 5457 West 79th Street, Indianapolis Ind. 46268. _ Many Americans are totally edentulous and a growing number are trying osseointegration. In plain language, that means 42 percent of Americans over 65 are without teeth, and many are opting for oral implant surgery rather than conventional dentures. According to a national survey conducted by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the use of oral implants has almost tripled in the past five years and is expected to climb. Difficulties in denture retention and chewing were the most important reasons patients chose implant surgery, the study found. Other reasons included mouth irritation from dentures, inadequate support from existing teeth for bridgework, and difficulty in speaking. Most of the maxillofacial surgeons surveyed said they have performed implant surgery on patients as young as the mid-20s. ``These findings show that missing teeth are not unique to the older population,'' says Dr. Gerald Laboda, the association president. ``In appearance, form and stability, oral implants are the closest thing modern science has to natural teeth. Oral implants bond to the existing bone structure of the mouth, thus eliminating the instability, chewing difficulty and irritation many denture wearers endure.'' _ Barnyard chores, such as feeding chickens and playing with pygmy goats, are being used in therapy programs for head-injured patients. ``Animal therapy offers a unique method ot treatment because it uses a living, responsive stimulus in treating the physically and mentally impaired,'' says Dr. James Wasco, medical director of the New Medico Head Injury System, a nationwide network of rehabilitation facilities. ``Techniques used for the elderly and neglected children are now being expanded for head-injured individuals.'' The barnyard program is used at the organization's Lindale, Texas, facility, while equestrian therapy programs help head-injured patients at facilities in Center Ossipee, N.H., and Canonsburg, Pa. Riding horses and petting and caring for them are both offered in the therapy. ``For both children and adults, caring for an animal increases self-confidence because the individual is responsible for the animal's well-being,'' Wasco notes.
