Fibromyalgia

Pfizer Inc. said it was ending development of two medicines that had been in final human testing to shift funding and staff to other experimental drugs with more potential. The world's biggest drug maker said it decided to halt more testing of compounds to treat fibromyalgia and generalized anxiety disorder after reviewing its existing and experimental primary-care drugs. Neither compound had been seen as a likely blockbuster because other drugs to treat those conditions already are on the market.

For people living with chronic pain, exercise is often the last thing they want to do. But physical activity could be a key component of some treatment plans, new studies suggest, especially with conditions such as fibromyalgia and arthritis. "The pain doesn't go away completely. It's not a cure. But it's a way to improve how you feel and your ability to function in daily life," says Daniel S.

FOR years, pain, stiffness and fatigue clung to Lauren Armistead like an invisible shroud. It was tough enough to live with fibromyalgia -- but the skepticism she encountered when she discussed her condition was intolerable. "Throw out a word like fibromyalgia and you'll get this blank stare," the 28-year-old said recently, sitting in her Santa Monica apartment. "For so long, it was my own private battle."