php database connection within expression engine and javascript

I am trying to set up a simple hit counter within expression engine using javascript and php. If a user clicks a certain link, I want it to trigger a javascript function which updates a value within my expression engine database. My setup is this:

I have a table called exp_custom_stats. Within that table are several rows of stats. For this example we'll use stat_downloads as the row that needs updating, with stat_name as the column header for stat_downloads, and stat_count as the column header for the value.

All I want to do is connect to the database, retrieve the stat_count for stat_downloads, and store it as a variable. Then on javascript click of a link, I want to increment that variable by one, and submit it back to the database as an update. The rough example would be below, but how do I connect to the DB in expression engine through a template?

DB Connection:

<开发者_Go百科?php 
SELECT * FROM exp_custom_stats WHERE stat_name = 'stat_downloads';
$stat_val = 'stat_count';
$stat_val++;
echo "$stat_val";
?>

DB Update:

<script type="text/javascript">
    $(document).ready(function() {
 $('.stat_increment').click(function(){
<?php 
INSERT INTO exp_custom_stats
VALUES ($stat_value)
WHERE stat_name = 'stat_downloads';
?>
 });
    });
</script>

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I figured out a way to do this using a combination of AJAX, PHP, and the External Entries add-on.