PULSE.

GO WITH THE FLOW: Up to 75 percent of visits to the doctor in the U.S. are said to be stress-related, yet not much is said in the healthcare industry about stress reduction as a preventive measure. With a large number of Americans left off the exercise bandwagon - the elderly and disabled, for example - a growing segment of the population is increasingly turning to an ancient Chinese exercise that reduces stress and is light on the joints: qi gong (pronounced ``chee gong'').

``Nothing is as soft as water, but for overcoming the hard and rigid, it has no equal,'' according to ``Qi Gong for Beginners,'' a program hosted by qi gong instructor Lee Holden. The program, which recently aired on KCET, introduces the practice to viewers eager to learn how to make themselves flow like water.

The program, which is also available as a four-part series on DVD, offers plenty of inspiration: Holden hosts all two-plus hours of the lessons on a plank set atop a canyon river. Following the beginners program, the series guides viewers through exercises to alleviate problems such as stress, upper-back and neck pain and lower-back pain. The slow, fluid movements emphasized by the practice are easy for everyone to pick up, from seniors to Olympic athletes, yet are touted as being effective in boosting the immune system, relieving arthritis pain, decreasing stress and more. Learn more at www.exercisetoheal.com, where you can also purchase each DVD for $19.95.

- Andy Wang 

WASH YOUR HANDS OF THIS: No one washes their hands as long as they should, least of all your kids, and that's the idea behind SquidSoap, a soap dispenser whose tentacled marine beast teaches your kids (and possibly you) proper hand-washing habits. As you press SquidSoap's pump for soap, your hand gets stained with an ink mark that only comes off with 10 to 15 seconds of thorough washing - the amount of time recommended by most professionals. SquidSoap, which aspires to ``training tomorrow's great hand washers,'' hopes that encouraging kids to wash for 10 to 15 seconds will also quash food-borne illnesses waiting to happen (assuming kids care that they get marked with black ink, that is). As a bonus, they also get a floppy orange squid to play with in the bathtub. SquidSoap retails for $3.49 to $3.99 in select grocery stores and pharmacies, or online at www.squidsoap.com.

- A.W.

BARK WORSE THAN BREATH: Dog breath may soon be history. For dogs, at least.

Easy Brush, a new ``toothbrush'' for dogs, claims to clean a dog's teeth better than current doggy dental care solutions such as dry kibble, dental toys or finger brushes, none of which clean down to the gums as effectively as real (made-for-humans) toothbrushes.

Shaped like a plastic bone, each side of the Easy Brush has a pit full of bristles. Your pooch sinks its canines (and the rest of its teeth) into the bristles while gnawing away, and the bristles brush off bacteria and food debris, hopefully curing your dog of halitosis. In the process, you're spared the indignity and hassle of hunching over a tortured pooch with last month's toothbrush.

The Easy Brush comes in small and large sizes and includes a special toothpaste formulated for a canine's palate (your own toothpaste is said to be harmful to dogs).

- A.W.

SHOW ME YOUR MOVES: Like dancing when no one's looking? Might as well make it a real workout, too. Fitness choreographer Jennifer Galardi leads ``Dance It Off'' ($14.95 DVD, $9.95 VHS), a new video from Prevention Fitness Systems that teaches jazz, hip-hop, Latin and ballet moves to sculpt that toned dancer's bod you dream of having.

Each dance routine is 10 minutes long and includes a thorough warm-up and cool-down. You can tough it through the entire four-routine workout or cheat by cherry-picking your favorites. The video also offers bonus segments that seem like pretty standard fare: tips for busy people on how to ``rev up'' your energy and special moves to work those abs. With persistence, you'll be pirouetting your way to a whole new you.

- A.W.

RUGRATS CUT A RUG: Exercise videos for busy adults have been a mainstay of the bargain bin for years, but now kids may have a reason to join in on the action - as long as the irony's lost on them. Two new videos for kids try to get the message out to get outside and be active, while nonetheless preaching from the TV screen.

But if you can get your children to forgo ``Yu-Gi-Oh!'' in favor of ``Get Fit America for Kids'' ($14.98) or ``SHAKE: Something's Hot About Kid's Energy'' ($14.98), why not? Fitness instructor Scott Cole leads exercises in ``Get Fit America'' for kindergartners through sixth-graders, teaching nonviolent martial arts, yoga and more for a 43-minute workout. In ``SHAKE,'' instructor Kari Anderson leads a dance party for kids ages 6 to 11 in a 30-minute workout that parents might also enjoy. If they get pumped up enough, they might just ditch the videos and have their horseplay outside, away from your living room furniture.

- A.W.

HEALTHCARE MISERY?: Have you had an exceptionally bad experience with the U.S. health care system? Filmmaker Michael Moore (``Fahrenheit 9/11'') is interested in hearing from you. Moore has put out an appeal for those who have stories of frustration or heartache to share for his untitled film about what's ailing in the system. ``If you'd like me to know what you've been through with your insurance company, or what it's been like to have no insurance at all, or how the hospitals and doctors wouldn't treat you (or if they did, how they sent you into poverty trying to pay their crazy bills ) ... if you have been abused in any way by this sick, greedy, grubby system and it has caused you or your loved ones great sorrow and pain, let me know,'' he wrote in an e-mail. He promises to read personally every ``short, factual account'' sent to michael(at)michaelmoore.com. He also vows to protect the privacy of any employees of HMOs, pharmaceutical companies and for-profit hospitals who have seen ``too much abuse of your fellow human beings and can't take it any longer.''

- Valerie Kuklenski

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(1) no caption (dog chewing on Easy Brush)

(2) no caption (Qi Gong DVDs)

(3) no caption (``Dance it Off'')

(4) no caption (fitness DVDs for kids)