To and From FlashMX

I want a .swf to be able to retrive values from MySQL with the aid of a .php file. What is the best way to do this?

In flash, can i use:
object.sendAndLoad("filename.php",object,"POST");

but how do i display it. dynamic text box with html??

textboxname.htmlText = this["fieldname"];

im not sure exactly how to link the PHP retrieval to the flash actionscript.

$HTTP_POST_VARS?? How do i use this to send it back to flash??