No, it isn't. I am disabled. I have diseases. I am not ill. I find that word to be offensive as applied to me based on my understanding of it's actual meaning, so I would appreciate it if you would stop using it to apply to all disabled persons.

"People have died from phenomena that is not a disease but is an illness"

Per the National Institutes of Health of the United Staes of America, pneumonia most definitely IS a disease. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/pneu...s/default.aspx

Pneumonia is a lung disease. Pneumococcal pneumonia can infect the upper respiratory tract and can spread to the blood, lungs, middle ear, or nervous system.

I thought you said there was a difference between illness and disease? I have never heard of anyone dying from a phenomena. Illness and disease are synonymous with each other.

From your post.

Pneumococcal pneumonia mainly causes illness in children younger than 2 years old and adults 65 years of age or older.

it may offend you but my diseases or conditions peripheral neuropathy, chronic asthma, chronic bronchitis leave me in chronc pain and diminshed capacity and leave me feeling ill as in not well. That difference that you feel between what is an illness and what is a condition or disease is your opinion. There are many differing opinions on that as a cursory glance at usage and definitions will suggest. You are splitting hairs.

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Something can be both an illness and a disease, that does not mean all diseases are illnesses or vice versa.

My diamond is a rock. All rocks are not diamonds......get it ?

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Echoes,

It's not 'just' my opinion. It is the opinion of english dictionaries and the entire medical community. You may feel ill, but all disabled people do not feel the same way that you do.

Some people not educated on the difference between the words use them interchangably. That does not mean it's correct to do so.

There is a difference.

I'm sure that you haven't heard of too many people dying from a phenomena. Unfortunately, that is how YOU misspelled pneumonia in a previous post......As you are aware, since you went back and edited the spelling......but not before I had copied and pasted it.

I am a little confused as to why you did not recognize your own quote and then tried to make fun of me for your error. :rolleyes:

Why are you guys arguing over words? finz, you have the god given right to say that you are disabled and not ill. No one will argue this point. But there again, everybody has the right to use which ever terminology they choose to describe their situation. I personally have several disabilities and some of these disabilities do make me very ill. Is it not my god given right to describe it this way if I choose to? This is a discussion forum, not an english class.

That's the core of the issue RLJ.......everyone else does have the right to describe their condition however they want to. I have not and would not dispute that. The problem is that some people here are making judgements about ALL disabled people that are grossly incorrect. All disabled people are not ill.

All disabled people do not have diseases. All disabled people are not ill. If you broke your neck in a fall and are paralyzed from the neck down, you are disabled, but you don't have a disease. If a child is born without limbs, they are disabled, but not diseased or ill. If a soldier losses limbs in a military skirmish, he is going to be ill for some time. If they recovery goes well, he might end up being disabled, but won't be ill anymore, and won't have a disease.

I will always try to educate and change the misconceptions people have about the disabled.

You should take a deep breath and calm down finz and learn to choose your battles more wisely. This is so not worth having a tantrum over.