The 2000s were an incredible decade for medicine. Doctors acknowledge that our knowledge of medical science grew faster in the last ten years than it had in the preceding decade. Every year brought us at least one (and sometimes two or even three!) brand new technique, vaccine, or drug that would improve our lives, help us lose weight, resist cancer, treat new diseases, and increase our awareness of the way our bodies work.

Generally, science moves slowly and the most major breakthroughs come about after years of research or accidental observation (like the discovery of penicillin for example). However, in the 2000s, scientists reaped the benefit of a century of study in the space of ten short years – a millisecond compared to the average pace of research. We have the scientists and doctors of the 2000s to thank for bringing our knowledge of medicine into the 21st century with breakthroughs that were unimaginable just a few short years ago.

Face Transplant Surgery

Why It Matters: It may sound like something out of a 50’s B-movie, but successful face transplant surgery is now a reality that is giving veterans, victims, and other disfigured individuals a chance at a normal life. Doctors were experimenting with facial reconstructive surgery as early as 1996, but it wasn’t until the 2000s that the procedure became viable. French surgeons performed a partial face transplant in 2005. In December 2008, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic successfully performed a face transplant on Connie Culp, victim of a gunshot wound to the face. Though the procedure is still in it’s infancy, doctors’ ability to reconstruct a recognizable visage is a beacon of hope for anyone who has suffered facial disfiguration.

HPV Vaccine

Why It Matters: In 2006, a vaccine preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) was made available in the United States. HPV is the most common STD contracted by adults it is estimated that 80% of American women will have the virus by the age of 50. Though most of these women will have no complications arising from the virus, HPV can and does cause cervical displaysia, a painful disorder which is a pre-cursor to cervical cancer. The vaccine, approved for women in 2006 and men in 2009, made it possible to prevent an HPV infection, thereby cutting the risk of cervical cancer for American women. The development of this vaccine is most likely the single most important medical achievement for women in the 2000s.

Brown Fat

Why It Matters: Obesity is a rising problem in the United States, along with other western nations. It seems like our country has been on a diet for the past 50 years, going on the idea that all fat is bad fat. In the 2000s, scientists proved that this old trope just isn’t true. Infants are born with stores of so-called “brown fat” – mitochondria packed, dark-hued fat cells that actually burn energy, unlike white fat. It was previously thought that all brown fat was replaced by white fat by adulthood, however scientists discovered that adults actually do retain brown fat, especially in cold climates. This discovery makes it more likely that we will see fat-based drugs meant to combat obesity and weight-gain in the very near future.

Stem-Cell Research

Why It Matters: Though stem cell research has been a political topic throughout the decade, scientists and researches have quietly been continuing to study how these amazing cells can improve our lives and combat diseases such as cancer. In 2009, Japanese scientists figured out how to use adult stem cells – rather than embryonic stem cells – to regenerate a fully functioning rodent’s tooth. Sure, it’s just a tooth, but as a working “replacement part” grown from stem cells, the tooth represents just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what will one day be accomplished using stem cells.

Discovery of XMRV Virus

Why It Matters: Individuals suffering from chronic fatigue disorder and fibromyalgia received some relief late in the decade with the discovery of XMRV – a retrovirus that scientists now believe is at the root of the diseases. Both chronic fatigue disorder and fibromyalgia cause chronic pain and proved difficult to diagnose due to their varied symptoms and lack of identifiable cause – until now. In an important study, scientists at the Whittemore Peterson Institute discovered the presence of XMRV in a majority of chronic fatigue sufferers, as oppose to healthy people. This new knowledge has validated the tricky disorder as a quantifiable disease cause by a recognized virus and prompted the development of new, more effective treatment for the affected.

Mapping the Human Genome

Why It Matters: What would you do if you were lost in the woods without a map? You’d be forced to blindly discern a way out, hoping that you were going in the right direction. Before the human genome was mapped, scientists studying genetic disorders may as well have been lost in the woods without a map. Without specific information about the basic compounds that make up the human body and how they work, many medical advances remained out of reach. In 2000, researches completed a map of the human genome, which showed us not only the entire genetic make up of humanity, but how to get navigate the over 3 billion letters of DNA that is the blueprint for the human body. Immediately, the map gave doctors and scientists the ability to predict, recognize, and prevent genetic mutations that cause cancer and other defects. In 2003, the map was updated and released on the Internet, for free.

Natural Control Prostheses

Why It Matters: We all know the image of the one-legged pirate, stomping around a wooden peg in lieu of a proper leg. While that poor pirate may represent the shoddy past of prosthetics, the 2000s brought advancements in the development and design of artificial limbs like never before. Doctors have now developed artificial limbs that not only have sensory qualities, but also that can be controlled by the mind. This is accomplished by grafting remaining nerve ending from the lost limb to the prosthetic replacement. Thanks to the medical breakthroughs of the 2000s, individuals who lose limbs in war or other accidents have a rosier future.

Circumcision for HIV Prevention

Why It Matters: HIV and AIDS prevention has been on the top of the list for doctors for the past few decades. Though scientists have yet to create a viable AIDS vaccine, the discovery of other procedures that can cut the risk of HIV infection have saved countless lives in the interim. In studies conducted in 2006 and 2007, researchers discovered that male circumcision could potentially reduce the risk of HIV infection by 50% in men having relations with HIV-infected women. Though a large-scale study of the effectiveness of circumcision in the United States has yet to be conducted, this medical breakthrough will prove very important to African countries where HIV rates are enormously high.

Over-the-Counter Plan B

Why It Matters: Plan B is a super-powerful dose of birth control that, when taken within 48 hours of sexual relations, prevents conception. This emergency contraception was approved by the FDA in 1999, but was not available for over-the-counter purchase until 2006. Debate erupted over the pill, as politicians claimed such easy access would encourage reckless behavior in young women. Despite the hand-wringing, as of 2009 Plan B is accessible to all woman aged 17 and up. What the political future holds is uncertain, but access to emergency contraception without a prescription is the greatest breakthrough for reproductive rights since the development of the birth control pill.

Atripla: One-A-Day HIV Medicine

Why It Matters: Before 2006, HIV patients would down a cocktail of drugs everyday to control their infection. A complex treatment regiment that demanded dosage at specific time every single day made it difficult for patients to stay on schedule. The introduction of Atripla, a fixed dose drug, negated the need for heavy organization and reduced the daily drug intake to a single pill per day. Atripla has made it easier for HIV patients to control the virus through regular medication. As an estimated 33 million people in the world have HIV, Atripla is a major breakthrough in prevention and care.