\u201cI thought it\u2019s probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view; but that\u2019s not where I am,\u201d the M*A*S*H actor said.<\/b>
\nAlan Alda has been living with Parkinson\u2019s disease for over three years, the actor revealed Tuesday in an appearance on CBS\u2019s \u201cThis Morning.\u201d
\u201cThe reason I want to talk about it in public is that I was diagnosed three-and-a-half years ago, and I\u2019ve had a full life since,\u201d he said.
\u201cI thought it\u2019s probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view,\u201d he added, pointing out that one of his thumbs had been twitching in recent TV appearances. \u201cBut that\u2019s not where I am.\u201d
Parkinson\u2019s is a movement disorder with symptoms that include muscle tremors and stiffness, poor balance and coordination. It affects over a million Americans, according to the American Parkinson Disease Association, including Michael J. Fox and the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the longtime civil rights leader.
Mr. Alda, who made his name in the TV series \u201cM*A*S*H,\u201d said he went to the doctors after reading an article in The New York Times, by Jane E. Brody, which said that acting out one\u2019s dreams could be an early warning sign of the disorder. \u201cBy acting out your dreams, I mean I was having a dream that somebody was attacking me and I threw a sack of potatoes at them,\u201d Mr. Alda, 82, said in the interview.
\u201cBut what I was really doing is throwing a pillow at my wife.\u201d
He said he had no other symptoms, but a few months later noticed a thumb twitch.
[ Read the article about Parkinson\u2019s disease by Jane E. Brody here]
Mr. Alda said he was also speaking out to reassure people that they do not have to be fearful after a diagnosis. \u201cYou still have things you can do,\u201d he said. Mr. Alda goes boxing three times a week, plays tennis and marches to John Philip Sousa music. \u201cMarching to march music is good for Parkinson\u2019s,\u201d he explained.
Mr. Alda was not trying to belittle people who have severe symptoms, he added. \u201cThat\u2019s difficult,\u201d he said.
Mr. Alda has long promoted science, and Stony Brook University\u2019s Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science is named after him. That honor had also motivated his decision to be open about the condition, he said: \u201cIt\u2019d be kind of ironic if I kept quiet about this when a center for communicating science is named after me.\u201d
Mr. Alda called on people to not \u201cfollow quackery.\u201d \u201cFind out what real science is coming up with that helps,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt helps to keep moving.\u201d After the interview, he posted a tweet of another example of how he does just that:<\/p>\n

\n

Similarity rank: 41<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 0.4<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n