50 notable medical advancements of the decade – msnNOW

Medical advancements have come further and faster in the last century than in any other period of human history. Consider that prior to the 1860s, germ theorythe belief pathogens can cause diseasehad not been posited and that penicillin wasnt discovered until 1928, and it becomes more stunning that we now have full-face transplants, methods for regrowing organs and teeth, and artificial intelligence that can help people with paralysis move and write. Major medical breakthroughs continue to speed up, too. More than 200 years passed between the first blood transfusion and the discovery of different blood types (explaining why transfusions sometimes resulted in death); but in less than 40 years we saw the first U.S. outbreaks of HIV and AIDS in 1981 and studies by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network on five continents to find an immunization for what was so recently considered a death sentence.

In light of so many breakthroughs, Stacker scoured scientific papers and news sites to compile a list of 50 achievements that changed medicine in the last decade alone. While some fascinate more than others, all the strides noted are undoubtedly life-changing. Some advancements include taking a step back, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT): One of the most effective treatments for menopause to date has been linked to heart fat, tempering the previously coveted therapy. Other advancements have streamlined treatment, such as 5-in-1 vaccines becoming 6-in-1 and traditional daily HIV medications now being offered in fixed combination and weekly doses.

Medical breakthroughs in marijuana have made great strides, with more diagnoses being treated by the drug while cannabis is also being used for treatment for canines and other animals. If these advances made in the last decade are indicative of what's to come, then one can only imagine what the next 10 years will hold.

Click through the slide show above to find out 50 notable medical advancements of the last decade.

Read the rest here:
50 notable medical advancements of the decade - msnNOW