How can you see into your liver? Let's face it: the liver isn't an easy organ to access. It's tucked safely under your ribcage, just below your diaphragm on the right side of your body. There is, however, a way to see inside, almost as if you were looking through a "medical window." Using today's medical technology, doctors are able to find out incredible amounts of information about your liver. For people with hepatitis, it's important to know what's going on in the liver. Doctors need to know this in order to accurately diagnose and design a treatment plan. As a hepatitis patient, you need to know how doctors get this information.

Blood tests are probably the most common way. To me, I think it's incredible that we can learn so much about a relatively hard-to-get-to organ from our blood. If this intrigues you, too, I explain more about this in Blood Tests for Hepatitis C.

Nobody likes to get poked and prodded with needles, especially with one big enough to actually sample a piece of your liver. As uncomfortable as this may sound, for people with hepatitis, this is a good thing. Sometimes doctors need to see exactly what's going on inside your liver. The biopsy is a clever way to actually remove a small piece of liver tissue and study it.

Finally, there's also imaging technology, like CT scans and MRIs. These powerful machines figuratively turn our entire abdomens into giant windows, bringing light to a hidden organ. Of course, a combination of all three are sometimes necessary. To me, I'm just happy we have the ability to "peek" inside. For more information about all these methods and more, check out Diagnosing Hepatitis.

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As a member of Red Sox Nation (Go Sox!), it pains me to talk politely about the Yankees, but it's necessary when I think about Mickey Mantle, who played his entire career for the legendary New York baseball team. I've been thinking of Mickey Mantle because the anniversary of his passing 13 years ago approaches this week on August 13. News reports of his death often mentioned a phrase he said that has stuck in my mind: "Don't Be Like Me."

Obviously he wasn't talking about emulating his ability to hit a home run. Rather, he was referring to a lifestyle that put him at risk for liver disease. Mickey Mantle suffered from cirrhosis due to alcohol, liver cancer and, somewhere along the way, was exposed to hepatitis C.

Though ultimately the cause of his death, his struggles with liver disease can be an example to us all, at least toward the end of his life. Mickey Mantle, in his own way, became an advocate for prevention: "Don't Be Like Me." Fortunately for us, quite a bit of liver disease is preventable, especially chronic disease caused by too much alcohol and the hepatitis viruses.

In the spirit of Mickey's final public request, I offer some ideas on the power of prevention: Preventing Hepatitis and, though I could probably come up with seven ways (in honor of his retired number), here are Six Ways to Stay Hepatitis C Free.

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