A couple of months ago I developed a hard, bony growth on my instep. I noticed that the top of my foot was hurting, and when I took my shoe off, there was a red lump the size of a quarter (it's not red all the time, just from rubbing against the shoe). A friend of mine who is a nurse said that it's probably a ganglion cyst and the best thing to do would be to, and I quote, "hit it with something really hard," like a dictionary, or a hammer. It should break up immediately, she told me. She hasn't seen it, by the way — this was over the phone.

I'm surprised that she thinks it's a cyst, because it's awfully hard — I would have just thought that it was a bone spur. What do you think? And is smacking a cyst with a dictionary really the way to go?

I plan to do some nude sunbathing this summer. What extra precautions should I take with the areas that have never seen the light of day? Should I use a higher SPF on my "naughty parts" than on, say, my arms and legs?

I have a friend who thinks he may have testicular cancer. I am the only person who knows. He is really embarrassed about it and refuses to tell anyone else. But I think his main problem is that he's afraid of what would happen next if it turns out that he did. I'll often tell him that it's not that embarrassing and he can tell his parents, but since I'm a girl, I just don't understand.

I have tried absolutely everything to make him tell someone, anyone really. But he won't. I am truly scared for him and have no idea what I would do without him. What should I do? Thanks for taking the time to read this, I really appreciate it and could really use the help.

I am 21 and have had consistent acne. I have tried topical creams (benzoyl peroxide, Retin-A, and topical antibiotics; as well as oral antibiotics for a number of months before). But, the acne keeps coming back.

For acne, does taking omega-3 fish oil supplements help? If so, how does it help, for what length of time should it be taken, and how many milligrams should one take?

Here's a question I have been debating with a friend for a while, and seeing as how I'm not scheduled to go to the dentist again for a while, I thought you could shed some light on the issue: when brushing one's teeth, should one also brush one's tongue? I would think yes, because what's the point of brushing germs off teeth if the tongue still has them there, and will transfer them to the teeth as soon as you're done brushing. My friend thinks it makes absolutely no difference. So does it matter? We have an ice cream wagered on this one! I hope I'm right!