Medicine: The Body May Be Best

A lifesaving alternative to the kidney machine

For Ron Morgan, 36, of Macon, Mo., the future looked bleak. A victim of diabetes since childhood, he developed a common complication two years ago, permanent kidney failure. Ordinarily, that would have meant drastic changes in Morgan's lifestyle. To ensure his survival, it would have been necessary for him to drive the 65 miles from his parents' farm to the medical center in Columbia several times a week. There he would be hooked up for hours at a stretch to a kidney machine that would purge his...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!