A Different Way of Practicing MedicineÂ
Who We Are
Alona Pulde, MD and Matthew Lederman, MD are conventionally trained physicians who have spent decades working at the intersection of medicine, nutrition, behavior change, and emotional health.
Over time, we observed a consistent pattern: people navigating complex symptoms, diagnoses, or life stressors often received fragmented care — multiple opinions, disconnected advice, and limited integration.
ConnectionDocs was created to address that gap.
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What Makes Our Approach Different
We integrate evidence-based medical care with attention to stress physiology, nervous system regulation, lifestyle, and relational dynamics. Many chronic or complex conditions persist not because people lack effort, but because important systems remain dysregulated or disconnected.
Our work focuses on restoring coherence — biologically and behaviorally — so that treatment decisions, lifestyle changes, and medical interventions can function more effectively.
This is coordinated, physician-led care designed for complexity.
 Who This Work Is For
This work often supports individuals and families navigating:
• Chronic or complex medical conditions
• Ongoing stress, burnout, or sleep disruption
• Symptoms that haven’t fully responded to standard care
• Behavioral or relational patterns contributing to ongoing dysregulation
When appropriate, we may also support couples or families if relational patterns are influencing health outcomes.
How We Think
Care is individualized and shaped by each person’s history, physiology, and circumstances.
We do not offer quick fixes or rigid protocols. We offer structured, thoughtful medical oversight designed to support meaningful, sustainable change over time.
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If this approach resonates, you can apply for a consultation to explore fit.
Alona Pulde, MD
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Dr. Alona Pulde is a board-certified practitioner of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and a Family Practice physician, as well as an expert in integrative, lifestyle, and nutritional medicine. Her work bridges Traditional Chinese Medicine with evidence-based Western healthcare, offering a systems-based approach to whole-person care.
She works with individuals navigating complex or persistent health concerns who are seeking more than symptom management. Her clinical focus includes metabolic health, hormonal transitions, fatigue, weight regulation, inflammatory conditions, and stress-related physiological disruption — particularly in women whose health has been shaped by chronic stress, caregiving demands, or life transitions.
Dr. Pulde integrates plant-based nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and trauma-informed principles into structured, physician-led care. She places careful attention on nervous system regulation and stress physiology, recognizing their influence on inflammation, hormonal balance, sleep architecture, digestion, and long-term resilience. Her approach emphasizes restoring biological stability so that other medical and behavioral interventions can work more effectively.
She is the co-author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan, and appeared in the documentary Forks Over Knives. Her most recent book, Wellness to Wonderful (co-authored with Dr. Matthew Lederman), integrates medical science, psychology, and lived experience into a framework for sustainable well-being.
Dr. Pulde has served as Vice President of Health and Wellness at Whole Foods Market and as an educator in medical and professional training settings. Across decades of clinical practice, she has observed that when metabolic stability improves and stress physiology recalibrates, clarity increases, symptoms often soften, and individuals regain a grounded sense of agency in their health.
Through Connection Docs, Dr. Pulde provides coordinated, physician-led support designed to optimize biological resilience and support sustainable, meaningful change.
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Matthew Lederman, MD
Dr. Matthew Lederman is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician who works with individuals navigating complex and often overwhelming health challenges. His work centers on helping people understand diagnoses, interpret competing recommendations, and make thoughtful medical decisions—particularly when illness, uncertainty, or conflicting advice create confusion or pressure.
He has extensive experience supporting individuals living with cancer and other serious or chronic conditions, assisting them in synthesizing medical information, coordinating care across specialists, and evaluating both conventional and complementary treatment options. Many of those he serves are inundated with well-intended advice yet struggle to determine what truly aligns with their body, values, and circumstances. His role is to restore context, coherence, and grounded agency during moments that often feel chaotic.
Dr. Lederman integrates evidence-based medicine, plant-based nutrition, and lifestyle medicine with careful attention to nervous system regulation and stress physiology. He recognizes that chronic stress, emotional overwhelm, and relational strain can influence immune signaling, pain processing, digestion, sleep, and overall resilience—especially during serious illness. Rather than focusing solely on protocols or symptom suppression, his approach emphasizes understanding why the body may remain dysregulated and how to create conditions that support regulation, repair, and adaptive capacity.
In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Lederman provides skills-based relational support for individuals, couples, and families. He is a Certified Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) and integrates Nonviolent Communication, Polyvagal Theory, pain reprocessing principles, and somatic awareness into his work. This dimension of care focuses on strengthening communication, reducing conflict-driven stress, and supporting emotional safety within relationships and within the body.
Dr. Lederman is the co-author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan, and appeared in the documentary Forks Over Knives. His most recent book, Wellness to Wonderful (co-authored with Dr. Alona Pulde), integrates medical science, psychology, and lived experience into a framework for sustainable well-being.
He has served as Vice President of Medical Affairs at Whole Foods Market, faculty for eCornell, and educator in professional training programs. Across decades of clinical and relational work, he has observed that when people feel safer—medically and emotionally—decision-making improves, physiological stress softens, and meaningful change becomes more possible.
Through Connection Docs, Dr. Lederman works alongside individuals, couples, and families to navigate medical complexity with clarity, steadiness, and coordinated support.
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CONNECTION DOCS
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Two physicians blending medicine, behavior change, and real life. Practical. Human. No hype.
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