It wasn’t too long ago that mammograms seemed like they were finally on the ropes.

Now, just when you thought it was safe to go back to the doctor, mammograms are back with a vengeance–and with a new machine.

The feds have just signed off on the Selenia Dimensions System, a mammogram device that delivers 3-D images of the breast… along with double the radiation of the traditional screening.

The machine’s makers say it’ll make it easier for doctors to spot tumors in the 10 percent of women who often need a second screening–a sure sign that some women will actually get triple the usual radiation: one from their traditional mammogram, and then that double dose from the new machine.

And if the machine saved lives, I’d say bring it on. But let’s face it: That’s not what’s going to happen here.

The machine is supposed to improve detection by 7 percent–which means what will really happen is a 7 percent increase in treatments.

And you can bet that won’t lead to a 7 percent increase in survival–because decades of increased screenings and treatments hasn’t made a mark on overall survival rates.

Now, even some mainstream voices have recognized that, calling for new limits on mammograms and even an end to the practice for many women.

But they’re being shouted down by organizations that have too much at stake in keeping things just as they are: doctors, surgeons and even some of the charities and “survivors’ groups” that trade in cancer fears.

And while they work to ensure that women continue to get screened and treated, cancer patients continue to suffer from stress, radiation, dangerous drugs and disfiguring surgeries that do far more harm than the tumor ever will.

One new study even finds that women who “survive” breast cancer face a higher risk of hip fractures years later.

It’s not because of the cancer… but because of the treatments, especially chemo and common cancer drugs.

Researchers at Northwestern University’s Bone Health and Osteoporosis Center say they noticed six relatively young women–all in their early 50s–who suffered the types of hip fractures that are usually seen in elderly osteoporosis patients.

All six had one thing in common: a history of breast cancer treatments.

One of the women already had osteoporosis, while the other five had osteopenia–a bone-thinning condition that’s not quite as bad. Yet.

The researchers couldn’t pin the fractures on a specific cause–it could have been the radiation, it could have been the meds, or it could have been both.

But whatever it was, it could have been prevented–because these women never needed those toxic treatments in the first place.

The one “plus” to obesity besides clothing size was supposed to be a lower risk of osteoporosis.

Bigger bodies means bigger bones, which should be harder to break.

That was the theory, anyway.

Well, it’s time to throw that theory right out the window. A new study found that bigger bones aren’t stronger bones. In fact, they’re actually weaker, and they could even increase your risk of osteoporosis.

Researchers recruited 50 women who ranged in BMI from a willowy 19 to a morbidly obese 46–but with a mean BMI of 30, most of them were much heavier than they should be.

Some of them had too much fat under the skin, which is known as subcutaneous fat… while others had the belly fat that starts out in the abdomen and pads the major organs–visceral fat, or the so-called “apple” shape.

Then, the researchers used MRI images to examine bone marrow fat and CT scans to measure bone mineral density in the fourth vertebra in the lumbar section of the spine–a bone that’s considered to be a reliable indicator of how the rest of your bones are doing.

They found that the types of fat in the body make a big difference in the kinds of bones you have–and the risks you face. Overall, women with the most belly fat–the “apples”–had the highest levels of bone marrow fat and the lowest overall bone mineral density.

And that puts these women at serious risk for osteoporosis, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

None of the women in the study actually had the disease, but some already had osteopenia, or a loss of bone mineral that often leads to osteoporosis.

Women with higher levels of subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, had relatively normal bones–but don’t consider that to be any comfort if you’re overweight. Obesity of any kind, no matter where those fat deposits reside, will put you at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and a premature demise.

Do yourself and your bones a favor and lose the extra weight– and then spend a little more time in the sun, because your body needs vitamin D to help keep those bones strong.

Then, follow one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever seen for bone health: Drink more beer, especially India pal ales. Studies have found that they’re the best sources of dietary silicon needed for strong bones. (Click here to read more.)

They’re also a key source of evening happiness.

Whoops–wrong again.

Just six months after saying there’s no link between osteoporosis meds and a higher risk of bone breaks, the FDA now says that osteoporosis meds have been linked to a higher risk of bone breaks.

But don’t worry–now that they know there’s a real risk, they’re… well, they’re not doing much.

What’d you expect, a recall?

Of course not… so instead of urging women to try better, safer ways to improve bone strength and lower osteoporosis risk, the feds are ordering patients to keep right on taking these dangerous bone-cracking drugs.

All they plan to do is update the drugs’ labels to include a new warning–an ordinary warning, not the infamous “black box” of doom–and include that warning in a medication guide.

The meds affected are the bisphosphonates: Fosamax, Fosamax Plus D, Actonel, Actonel with Calcium, Boniva, Atelvia and all their generic incarnations, as well as injectable Reclast and Boniva.

As I mentioned earlier this year, studies have found that women who take bisphosphonate meds for five years or more have an increased risk of a sudden and dramatic break in the femur, also known as the thighbone. (Read about it
here.)

One study found that the bones can show signs of brittleness after four years of meds–which is really no time at all for a drug many women are expected to take forever.

If you or anyone you love has been taking bisphosphonate drugs, here’s the most important thing you need to know right now: The breaks often come with a warning sign in the form of a dull ache or pain in the thigh or groin area.

Feel anything like that, and see your doctor stat–it could mean you’re just weeks away from a debilitating fracture.

And that’s not the only risk these meds carry. As I told you just a few weeks ago, osteoporosis drugs have also been linked to esophageal cancer. (Click here to read more.)

Luckily, you have other options–because good nutrition and some key supplements can do far more for your bones than drugs ever will, and I’m not talking about those little calcium candies that many women think will protect them.

They won’t.

Calcium is only the beginning of a good plan for bone health. Because it’s so poorly absorbed by the body, it needs some help getting in–and that help comes from magnesium and vitamin D.

And guess what you probably don’t have.

That’s right–magnesium and vitamin D are among our leading nutritional deficiencies.

If you can’t get enough calcium and magnesium from diet, and vitamin D from sunlight, be sure to add a high-quality supplement to the mix.

And then, be sure to enjoy a beer at the end of the day: Ales such as India pale ales, pale ales and regular ale have some of the highest natural levels of bone-building silicon. (Read more about that here.)

There’s a reason to make every night ladies’ night!

It’s a little funny to hear a nutritionist lash out against supplements right around the time one of the world’s most prominent medical schools comes out in favor of one of them.

Researchers at the Harvard Medical School have identified vitamin D as the one nutrient that most people even with ideal diets won’t be able to get enough of through food.

Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin, but who really sees the sun anymore? Most folks dash from the home to the office to the mall, getting exposed to sunlight for 10 seconds here or 30 seconds there – not nearly enough to help the body produce the amount of D it really needs.

Even when we are out in the sun, most people wear shirts, hats, sunglasses, and sunblock, which makes it even tougher to get your daily D from sunlight alone. It’s literally impossible to get enough vitamin D from the sun in winter in many areas.

So it makes perfect sense for most folks to take a high-quality D supplement. Harvard recommends at least 1,000 IU per day, and I’ve seen with my own eyes how a steady source of D can work wonders.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in helping your body hold onto calcium. So even if you think you’re getting enough calcium, a lack of vitamin D could cause your body to come up short – increasing your risk for bone conditions like osteoporosis.

That dynamic D can also help your body fight infections, beat cancer, reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke, ease asthma and prevent colds and the flu. Vitamin D has even been shown to help people live longer.

You really can’t go wrong with this one – and you won’t get enough of it from your food.

So while we can thank the sun for introducing us to all those benefits, your body will thank you for using a supplement to make sure you actually get them.