Don't become a victim of medical marketing

Linda Lewis says that when she had back surgery two years ago, her surgeon didn't do what was best for her health; he did was best for his bank account.

Lewis, a graduate student who lives in Sherman Oaks, California, says Dr. John Regan, a surgeon in Beverly Hills, put in an artificial disc to help relieve her lower back pain.

"He said my back would be better than ever," said Lewis, 45. "I'm thinking, 'Wow, disc replacement is the best thing since sliced bread.' "

But after the surgery, Lewis says, she ended up in debilitating pain, could walk only with the assistance of a walker and had to have a second procedure to correct the first one.

"I couldn't take enough drugs for the pain," she said. "Having that surgery was the worst decision of my life."

Lewis said she was "livid" when she later found out that Regan had financial ties to the company that makes the disc, saying she believes that those ties prompted Regan to recommend the disc over other treatment options.

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