Product Research Document

During the planning stage of Little Patriots Embraced, our founder sought out products to include in the Family Package. As stated in our goals, Little Patriots Embraced seeks to deliver, through transitional and support objects, emotional and psychological support to the children and spouses of our military, giving special emphasis to families with a deployed member. Listed below are the core items in our package and research supporting like items.

1. Bears / Blankets: LPE Bears and Children’s Blankets: Gone are the days when a child’s need for a favorite Teddy Bear or Blanket was frowned upon. Psychoanalyst and pediatrician, D. W. Winnicott’s research and theories on transitional objects have found widespread acceptance and application within the medical and mental health communities.

   A. A teddy bear is more than a toy. It is also a therapeutic tool that helps children cope with very difficult situations. It does that by relieving their anxiety so they have more ability to cope (Psychiatric social worker Samantha Grier, Jewish News Weekly).
   
   B. A security object can help children feel safe and confident in a complex world. Even as young as six months, a child often seeks out a blanket or plush toy to serve as an extension of an intimate relationship (Dr. Peter Gorski M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics & child development at Harvard Medical School).
   
   C. The teddy bear, when presented at a traumatic moment in a child’s life, can reduce his or her level of anxiety. This reduction in anxiety can be very significant in healing when there is a disruption in a child’s life (Samantha Greer, psychiatric social worker, founder of Caring for Children).

2. Music: New Love CD: This lyrical and comforting 60 minute enchanting solo acoustic harp music by Amy Camie has helped thousands of people create an oasis of serenity, peace and harmony.

   A. "In treating patients with excessive stress or hypertension, I've been using the solo harp CD, NEW LOVE 'awaken to yourself’ with dramatic results. I've been comparing various types of music with this solo harp CD. In every case thus far the level of relaxation, as measured by the increase in the alpha wave frequency, is greater when this CD is used." - William G. Collins, Ph.D
   
   B. "Patients with severe and prolonged Post Traumatic Stress Disorder benefit greatly from your (Amy Camie) music.” -Nicky McClusky, Psychotherapist

3. Writing Journals: Journal Therapy:
   

   A. Writing therapy involves putting thoughts and feelings into words as a therapeutic tool. It is based on the belief that recording memories, fears, concerns, and/or problems can help relieve stress, promote health and well being, and lead to personal growth. In addition to putting a problem or concern into words, journal therapy also can help people work out a solution. By encouraging people to put difficult emotions and memories into words, writing therapy provides therapeutic release. In addition, some scientists believe that the release offered by writing affects the body's physical capacity to withstand stress and to fight off stress-related infection and disease. Writing therapy has also been shown to have a positive impact on heart rate and blood pressure (www.wholehealthmd.com: Reference Library –Writing Therapy 09 Nov 04).
   
   B. In a 1998 study published in Health Psychology, college freshmen that wrote about their problems and feelings and created coping strategies, were found to make fewer visits to the medical clinic than those who didn't write about their problems and feelings.
   
   C. In a study, published in 1999 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a striking connection between writing therapy and relief from chronic illness was shown. Researchers found that asthma patients who wrote about difficult experiences such as divorce, physical abuse, and car accidents improved their lung function by an average of 19%. Rheumatoid arthritis patients writing about their stresses improved their condition by an average of 28% (Joshua M. Smyth; Arthur A. Stone; Adam Hurewitz; Alan Kaell: Effects of Writing About Stressful Experiences on Symptom Reduction in Patients With Asthma or Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Trial JAMA 281: 1304-1309).