If you’re old enough to remember this catchphrase from Mrs. Hoskins, a character in the post-war British radio sitcom “Ray’s a Laugh,” who compulsively lamented her health, then you’re probably old enough to feel pain from time to time. from time to time

Maybe it’s knee pain, arthritic fingers, back pain, or just a general creak. Pain is no joke, but a good attitude actually helps keep pain in perspective. Adopting a positive attitude includes figuring out how to help yourself. Yes, of course, you need to see a doctor and get professional advice. But doctors are often too busy to give you all the basic information about supplements and diet and other useful things, that is if they know about them at all.

Diet and exercise can do wonders for pain relief. Alternative therapies and nutritional supplements abound, and careful research to separate the nonsense from the really helpful may mean you find a way to relieve your pain that your doctor doesn’t know about.

A few years ago, my father-in-law went to the doctor for persistent shoulder pain. The doctor solemnly told him that he was part of the aging process (he was fifty years old at the time) and that he would need to take painkillers for the rest of his life. Not being ready to accept this, my father-in-law decided, against all of his skeptical instincts as a scientist, to see an alternative therapist. Three sessions later, no more pain, no need for painkillers, and eighteen years later, no recurrence of that pain.

Massage for the elderly is another area where great comfort and pain relief is available. Also, the very act of being touched is wonderful for a person who may not have experienced close contact for many years. The neutrality yet gentleness of a massage has an incredible healing benefit even apart from the pain relief that can be achieved when stiff muscles and tendons are gently realigned.

So take an active interest in beating the pain, keep a smile on your face as much as possible, look into alternative pain relief therapies like massage or even hypnotherapy. Maybe you even listen to some of those “Ray’s a Laugh” episodes and wonder how we ever thought they were funny. But I’m sure you’ll agree that they were.