A Different Way of Supporting Healing
Many of the people who find us are living with symptoms, diagnoses, or family challenges that don’t fit neatly into standard medical boxes. They may have tried multiple approaches, received conflicting advice, or been told anything from  “everything looks fine” to "there is nothing more we can do."
We created Connection Docs for people who sense that something important is missing from their care — and want support that honors both the body and the human experience of living in it.
 Who This Work Is For
This work often supports people who are navigating:
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Chronic or complex medical conditions that haven’t fully responded to standard care
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Ongoing stress, anxiety, burnout, or sleep disruption
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Digestive issues, pain, fatigue, or symptoms without a clear path forward
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Emotional eating or behavioral patterns that don’t respond to willpower alone
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Relationship or family dynamics that contribute to ongoing stress or dysregulation Â
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Because health does not exist in isolation...
this work may also include support for couples and families when patterns of communication, conflict, or disconnection are contributing to stress or illness.
For those seeking focused support around communication, conflict, or connection (individually or as a couple), learn more about Dr. Lederman’s relational and Nonviolent Communication–based work →
Explore Relational & Couples Support
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How We Work With People
Many chronic conditions persist not because people are failing or missing willpower, but because important pieces of care are missing or disconnected. Our work focuses on helping people understand why the body may remain stuck and what can help restore forward movement toward healing and health.
Our approach includes:
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Comprehensive medical intake and ongoing medical support
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Reviewing and interpreting labs, and coordinating care with other specialists
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Evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle guidance
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Attention to nervous system regulation and stress physiology
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Ongoing follow-up to assess progress, adjust care, and support integration over time
Care is always individualized, shaped by each person’s history, physiology, and circumstances. This is not about quick fixes or rigid programs — it’s a grounded, compassionate expansion of care designed to support meaningful change in real life.
Alona Pulde, MD
Dr. Pulde is a board-certified practitioner of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and a leading expert in integrative, lifestyle, and nutritional medicine. She is widely recognized for her whole-person approach that bridges the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the evidence-based principles of Western healthcare.
Dr. Pulde works with clients to move beyond symptom management by addressing the root causes of their physical, emotional, and relational challenges. She is particularly interested in women’s health, supporting clients with challenges such as weight management, fatigue, hormonal transitions, and stress-related health concerns. By integrating plant-based nutrition, trauma-informed care, somatic awareness, and principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), she helps women shift their nervous systems from chronic stress into states of safety physiology — where healing, restoration, and resilience naturally emerge.
She is the co-author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan, and was featured in the acclaimed documentary Forks Over Knives, which has inspired millions to rethink their approach to food, health, and chronic disease. Her most recent book, Wellness to Wonderful, co-authored with her husband Dr. Matthew Lederman, reframes wellness as more than the absence of disease, offering a roadmap to sustainable health and meaningful connection.
Dr. Pulde co-hosts the webe Tögether podcast, where she supports moms, dads, and families in cultivating emotional safety, resilience, and connected relationships. She has also served as Vice President of Health and Wellness at Whole Foods Market, and as an educator in medical and health professional settings.
Through her work with Connection Docs, Dr. Pulde helps clients make informed, sustainable choices that optimize healing, health, and overall well-being.
Matthew Lederman, MD
Dr. Matthew Lederman is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician who works with individuals navigating complex, often overwhelming health challenges. His work focuses on helping people understand medical diagnoses, interpret competing recommendations, and navigate treatment decisions—especially when illness, uncertainty, or conflicting advice leave them feeling confused, pressured, or stuck.
Dr. Lederman has extensive experience supporting people living with cancer and other serious or chronic conditions, helping them make sense of medical information, coordinate care across specialists, and thoughtfully evaluate both conventional and complementary treatment options. Many of the people he works with are inundated by well-intended advice from clinicians, loved ones, and online sources, yet struggle to find clarity about what truly fits their body, values, and circumstances. His role is to help restore context, coherence, and a grounded sense of agency during moments that often feel chaotic and frightening.
His medical approach integrates evidence-based medicine, plant-based nutrition, and lifestyle medicine with careful attention to nervous system regulation and stress physiology. Dr. Lederman recognizes that chronic stress, emotional overwhelm, and relational strain can profoundly affect immune signaling, pain processing, digestion, sleep, and the body’s capacity to heal—particularly during serious illness. Rather than focusing only on protocols or symptom suppression, he helps patients understand why the body may remain stuck and how to support conditions that allow regulation, repair, and resilience to emerge.
In addition to his medical work, Dr. Lederman provides relational and counseling 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, and somatic awareness to help people navigate conflict, stress, caregiving strain, and the relational challenges that often accompany illness. This work focuses on developing practical, learnable skills that transform conflict into understanding, restore emotional safety, and support connection—both within relationships and within the body itself.
Dr. Lederman is the co-author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan, and was featured in the documentary Forks Over Knives. His most recent book, Wellness to Wonderful (co-authored with Dr. Alona Pulde), weaves together medical science, psychology, and lived experience into a framework for sustainable well-being.
He writes regularly for Psychology Today and through the Connection Docs Substack, where he explores the intersection of medicine, nervous system regulation, behavior change, and human connection. He also creates and shares AI-supported coaching tools designed to help people practice insight, regulation, and connection skills between sessions and in daily life.
Dr. Lederman has served as Vice President of Medical Affairs at Whole Foods Market, as faculty for eCornell, and as an educator in professional training programs. Across decades of clinical and relational work, he has seen repeatedly that when people feel safer—medically, emotionally, and relationally—decision-making improves, symptoms often soften, conflicts de-escalate, and new pathways toward healing and resilience emerge.
Through Connection Docs, Dr. Lederman works alongside individuals, couples, and families to help them navigate complex medical realities with clarity, compassion, and grounded support—bringing medicine, relationship, and human experience back into alignment.
In addition to his medical work, Dr. Lederman also offers connection-based, skills-focused relational support for couples and families grounded in nervous system science.
Click Here to Learn more about Relational & Couples Support →
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