Alan Alda, well remembered for his role as a battlefield doctor on MASH, is now considered a Hollywood veteran at the age of 86. But, the beloved actor announced in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years before.

Today, Alda is speaking out about the “most difficult” aspect of living with the condition and how his outlook on life has changed since his diagnosis—but not his goals.

Continue reading to see what he views to be the most difficult feature of his Parkinson’s disease case and what he’s doing to slow the disease’s progression.

Alda was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015 after seeing this uncommon symptom.

In 2015, Alda came across a report in which a group of clinicians detailed a peculiar Parkinson’s symptom they had observed in some of their patients: they were prone to physically acting out their dreams while still asleep, a condition known as REM sleep behavior disorder.

“I realized I’d done exactly that,” Alda admitted in 2020. “I had feared somebody was attacking me, and in the dream, I tossed a sack of potatoes at him. “I flung a pillow at my wife.”

“As a result, convinced that I had Parkinson’s disease, I went to a physician and sought a brain scan.” Notwithstanding the doctor’s advice to avoid the scan due to his absence of normal symptoms, Alda persevered. “He called me back and said, ‘Wow, you got it,’” the actor explains.

He described it as the “biggest obstacle” he had faced since his illness.

Since his diagnosis, Alda has led a decidedly “full life,” continuing to act, starting a successful podcast, and cherishing the extra family time he gained during the pandemic’s quarantine stage.

When questioned about the most challenging aspect of life with Parkinson’s, Alda aired a surprisingly small complaint: “Tying shoelaces can be a chore with stiff fingers. “Imagine playing the violin while wearing mittens,” he explained.

Instead of imposing happiness or wallow in gloom, the actor confronts his problems. “Being optimistic or pessimistic about anything is futile.”

“You simply have to ride the wave of uncertainty because that’s all we have,” he explained. “The silver lining is that I’m becoming more confident in my ability to find a solution,” he continued. “I’m more convinced than ever that life is continuously changing, evolving, and renewing itself.”

His Parkinson’s illness, he claims, “may be slowed.”

Alda, who has battled Parkinson’s disease for seven years, told People that he is still doing well. “I’m feeling great and moving on,” he told the site. “I’m doing all in my power to limit the progression of Parkinson’s disease, which can be slowed with effort,” he said.

He spends his days exercising and going to physical therapy, as well as “preparing for my podcast, chasing the geese off my grass, playing chess with Arlene [his 65-year-old wife], and bingeing on Scandinavian TV shows.”

He goes on to say that exercise is critical to his long-term health. Alda says he exercises his physical health by walking, biking, and jogging on a treadmill, which all help him preserve motor control.

“I enjoy dancing to music. I get boxing lessons from a man who has had Parkinson’s therapy. I do a full-body workout designed specifically for this condition. It is not the end of the world if you receive this diagnosis.”

He wants everyone to understand that being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is not a death sentence.

Alda says he chose to be open about his condition in order to present a unique perspective on what a Parkinson’s diagnosis can entail. “One of the reasons I talk about it in public is to remove some of the stigmas because I know people who have recently been diagnosed and feel like their lives are over, and they’re shocked and devastated,” he explained.

“Being depressed is a common reaction, but it is unnecessary. Things may be much worse, but your life is not over. You die with it, not from it.”

The Marriage Story actress keeps a happy attitude by laughing whenever possible. “Laugh! Laughter is good for you. One of the most major advantages of this [pandemic] isolation is this. My wife and I are laughing as hard as we’ve ever laughed.”

“You reveal yourself when you laugh. You’re not safe… Yet, vulnerability has numerous advantages. “You let the other person in, and it brings us all closer together,” he said, adding, “Even now, we can’t take ourselves too seriously.”