M*A*S*H star has Parkinson’s disease

Actor Alan Alda, known for his roles on “M*A*S*H.,” “The West Wing” and “The Aviator,” announced on Tuesday that he has Parkinson’s disease.

Speaking on “CBS This Morning,” Alda said he has had “a full life” since he received the diagnosis 31/2 years ago. “I’ve acted. I’ve given talks. I help at the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook. I started this new podcast. And I noticed that I had been on television a lot in the last couple of weeks talking about the new podcast, and I could see my thumb twitch in some shots,” said Alda, 82. “I thought, it’s probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view, but that’s not where I am.”

Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder impacting movement, though symptoms may not show up in the early stages. Although there is no cure, there are medications and other options that can help patients with symptoms.

Alda explained he read about a study that showed acting out one’s dreams could be a very early indicator of Parkinson’s, when no other symptoms show. So he asked doctors for a scan.

“And by acting out your dreams, I mean I was having a dream that someone was attacking me and I threw a sack of potatoes at them,” Alda said. “But what I was really doing was throwing a pillow at my wife.”

He added that he wanted to know early on so “if there’s anything I can do, I want to do it before things start to show up.” Months later, he noticed things like “a little twitch in my thumb.”

The actor — who takes boxing lessons and plays tennis three times a week — says he’s been in movies since his diagnosis. “It hasn’t stopped my life at all. I’ve had a richer life than I’ve had up until now.”

“I think my saying something publicly about this today is going to make one thing a little easier,” he said Tuesday.

Alan Alda