The January 2007 issue of Reader's Digest is full of little tidbits of health news. Like how patients are losing patience with hospital emergency rooms.

In an effort to cut the waiting time for ER patients -- the average wait time is three hours and 42 minutes -- some hospitals are offering incentives. One Ohio hospital is giving $25 gift cards to those made to wait longer than 30 minutes. Patients at three Virginia hospitals get a pair of movie tickets if they are not treated in 30 minutes, and a Nevada hospital is cutting fees for those who are not seen by a nurse within 15 minutes of arrival. The incentives appear to be working. One hospital cites a new wait average of 23 minutes and new patient satisfaction score of 90 percent.

In other Reader's Digest news, it is reported that people who weigh themselves daily as part of a diet and fitness routine are more likely to regain lost pounds than those who avoid the scale. And in another news brief, information about the transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) is shared.

The TNE is an esophageal cancer screening procedure worth some attention. Few know about it's merits yet it may be a tool allowing earlier detection of a cancer often caught too late. It's a less risky procedure than tests requiring sedation, and the whole process is quite simiple. It merely involves numbing of the nose and insertion of an endoscope and tiny camera through the nostrils so pictures of the esophagus can be taken. This test is not recommended for symptom-free individuals -- just for those with a persistent cough or hoarseness, which are early signs of the disease.

There's more where all this comes from -- hiding among the pages of this month's Reader's Digest. So take a peek -- try a visit to www.rd.com -- because you're likely to find something geared just for you.

Ohio State quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels is part of a coaching staff preparing to take on the University of Florida in the NCAA Football National Championship in Glendale, Arizona next week. It's a big game, with big stakes -- but it's just one match-up Daniels plans to tackle this year. He's also in the midst of a game with cancer -- a game he plans to win.

Daniels, a 64-year-old assistant to head coach Jim Tressel and contender for the Broyles Award, given January 16 to the nation's top assistant coach, was diagnosed with kidney cancer this past year shortly after suffering a heart attack and while mourning the death of his mother. Although it was a tough year, he still managed to make it through his 37th season as an assistant coach. He and his wife, Kathy, say it's been a hard road but a blessed one too.

"Cancer is a terrible disease," says Kathy. "But in a lot of ways, it's enriched our lives. It's not the burden a lot of people expect it to be. Maybe it's because we've been so fortunate to have football as a distraction."

The Buckeyes' 12-0 season -- complete with a Heisman Trophy victory for quarterback Troy Smith -- was quite a distraction for Daniels who was able to avoid chemotherapy and radiation and is faithfully taking a drug called Sutent to treat his malignant tumor. He takes a pill for 28 days, then takes 14 days off, and then begins again.

Medically, everything seems to be working out just fine for Daniels. His monthly check-ups continue to deliver good news, and he reports he has felt good, with just a bit of fatigue, for the entire season.

Now about that other game. Tune into the FOX network on Monday, January 8 at 8:15 PM -- and watch it all unfold.

A new year. A new law. Effective today, smokers are banned from lighting up in most public places in Washington DC .

Restaurants, bars, and indoor workplaces are now considered smoke-free in the District. The new law takes full effect today -- January 2, 2007.

More than half of the nation's population now lives in areas where smoking is banned in public places, according to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation.

In 2006 alone, nine statewide bans were adopted by lawmakers. In total, 22 states have passed smoking bans. And 16 states have passed laws banning smoking in bars.

In addition to Washington DC, smoking bans also go into effect today in Bloomington and Normal, Illinois.

Take it from Bob Greene, the supercoach who helped Oprah get into the best shape of her life, when he says we all can acquire great health and great fitness -- without calorie counting and deprivation and hardship. He details it all in his new book The Best Life Diet, and he shares a series of how-to guides in the January 2007 issue of Oprah Magazine.

One tool Greene offers as we take on the new year is a hunger scale -- to help us avoid eating mindlessly, to encourage us to get in touch with our hunger, to train us away from always watching calories.

The scale goes like this:

10: Stuffed. Approaching nausea.
9: Very uncomfortably full. Need to loosen clothing.
8: Uncomfortably full. Bloated.
7: Full. A bit uncomfortable.
6: Perfectly comfortable and satisfied.
5: Comfortable. More or less satisfied but could eat more.
4: Slightly uncomfortable. Beginning to feel signs of hunger.
3: Uncomfortably hungry. Stomach is rumbling.
2: Very uncomfortable, irritable, and unable to concentrate.
1: Weak and light-headed. Stomach acid is churning.

Greene says we should eat only when we find ourselves feeling 1, 2, 3, or 4. He instructs us to put our forks down at 5 and 6 and wait for our next scheduled meal. For those trying to lose weight, he says stop eating at 5. This is the point at which you're eating less than your body is burning.