Peruvian Nights and Jamaican Days

Dude, you are probably getting these canker sores because of stress, and not enough sleep. There really isn't much you can do to prevent them, until your lifestyle changes, which could be a few years. (You mention that you brush your teeth, so obviously you maintain oral hygiene.)

Other maladies I remember from my graduate school days are random crying, auditory hallucinations (at least I never saw stuff), and blood in my urine. The last one was funny, because I remember thinking at the time "I was wondering when that would happen." I guess I was under a LOT of stress, especially the last 2-3 years or so. (I had two full-time GAs for a year, because the graduate dean was on a sabbatical!)

Okay, here is THE canker sore treatment that worked for me every time. Take a full fat pinch of salt and press it into the inside of your mouth where the sore is. Close your mouth and lips and press the area firmly from the outside. At first, you just taste salt. Keep your mouth tight enough so that you don't even have room to salivate. Next, the sensation of burning will take over. It will BURN! It will hurt exactly in the canker sore area, so you know it is working. You gotta hold it, though. You have to hold the salt in place until it doesn't hurt. Really, this can take a full minute, and it is painful. Then, it doesn't hurt. It will feel raw, though. In the morning, you should already notice a definite improvement and after a full day of nonacid foods, it could be better by dinner the next day!

--gh