Alan Alda reveals unexpected weapon in his battle against Parkinson's disease

Alan Alda is sharing his surprising method of coping with Parkinson’s .

The actor, 90, best known for portraying Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the CBS wartime sitcom "M*A*S*H," was diagnosed with the degenerative motor disease in 2015 and publicly shared the news in 2018.

The diagnosis came after the actor learned that his own behavior of acting out dreams could be an early Parkinson's symptom.

DAD JOKES MAY BE GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN IN ONE SURPRISING WAY, EXPERTS SAY "I had a symptom, which at the time was not that well-known: Acting out your dreams," he said in an Oct.

4 interview with CBS News .

"I had a dream that somebody was attacking me.

And I picked up a sack of potatoes and threw it at 'em.

What I was really doing was throwing a pillow at Arlene, my wife." Alda identified humor as his way of coping with the frustrations and limitations of the disease.

While he acknowledged the frustrations of the physical effects and limitations of Parkinson’s, he said "the best way to deal with anything that's a little bit of a problem is to find out what's funny about it and laugh at it." In one example, he shared that when he has trouble controlling the computer mouse while composing an email, he personifies his condition as "Dr.

Parkinson," moving his hand all over the screen and deleting things.

"I don't let Parkinson's define me," Alda said, joking that he sees the disease as "just a hobby." PARKINSON’S PATIENT’S YEARS-LONG TREMOR VANISHES WITHIN MINUTES OF NEW ULTRASOUND TREATMENT Rather than wishing he didn’t have the condition, the actor said he aims to accept his current reality.

"I really think reality is my friend," he said.

"I don't want to wish it away.

I can't wish it away.