Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 6/03/2021 – Ryan Stutter shocked fans when he revealed that the mystery illness he has been suffering from is Lyme disease and an immune system weakened by mold toxicity, as PEOPLE reports. Over 50 percent of the American population suffers from mold sensitivity. In extreme cases, mold can leave these millions of people bedridden and incapacitated, according to international mold expert, Michael Rubino, President of All American Restoration and author of The Mold Medic: An Expert’s Guide on Mold Removal. www.AllAmericanRestoration.com
Tell us about your background.
I am an international authority on mold remediation, with nearly a decade of field experience working with immunocompromised individuals to improve their indoor air quality. I am council certified Mold Remediator by IICRC and ACAC and a contributing member, sponsor, and speaker for the Indoor Air Quality Association.
I am the founder and CEO of All American Restoration, the nation’s largest remediation company focused on those who are immune-compromised. I am also the author of The Mold Medic, the first book written on mold by an industry remediation expert.
How prevalent is mold sensitivity to Americans? What are some of the symptoms of mold toxicity?
It’s estimated that 1 in 3 Americans are susceptible to environmentally acquired illness by exposure to mold. This can be due to pre-genetic dispositions such as carriers of the HLA-DR gene, (also known as “the mold gene”) where individuals are not detoxifying mold the way the majority of people do.
Unfortunately, people can become immune-compromised over time, such as those who become ill through Lyme disease or COVID-19. The common symptoms people experience with mold toxicity are brain fog, chronic fatigue, body aches and pains, headaches, light sensitivity, sinusitis, eczema, and other skin-related issues, coughing, respiratory infection and disease, hormone disruptions, and infertility.
You are the President of All American Restoration. What are some of the cases you are seeing today?
I am helping a client in Florida right now going through one of the most heart-wrenching stories I’ve encountered to date. This client went through 41 medical doctors and practitioners who had misdiagnosed her illness before she finally found someone who recommended she check her air quality. Not only did this cost her thousands of dollars and years of her life, but her symptoms also worsened until she was no longer able to eat on her own. She had to install a feeding tube as she was not physically able to eat food without vomiting.
Upon performing testing for mold toxicity in her body as well as her home, the client found her levels through the roof. When I met with her to help with remediation efforts, I recommended she immediately vacate her place. Within one week of moving out of her home, the client was able to start eating again and removed her feeding tube for good. She is healthier now than she’s been in years and is on her road to recovery.
All American Restoration is currently remediating her home and we are excited to be able to help our client get back in their home for good.
What can individuals with autoimmune disorders do to improve their health and homes?
Anyone who has autoimmune disorders needs to be more vigilant in protecting their air quality.
The average person takes about 20,000 breaths per day. Sadly, our indoor air quality is often the last thing we look at in terms of improving our health. In the case of the client I mentioned earlier, she had to go through 41 doctors before her indoor air quality was even on her radar. The air quality of your home should be the first thing on people’s checklists since it has such a vital impact on our bodies. Also, doing an annual air quality inspection with a mold inspector is a great idea to make sure nothing is awry. You always want to be on top of your air quality since you are most susceptible to environmentally acquired illness if you are already battling other deficiencies with your immune system. I’ve actually just begun recommending a $79 device called “Airthings Wave Mini” which can monitor the air quality in your home once to alert you when less than ideal conditions are present.
Is mold toxicity dependent on seasons?
Believe it or not, we get calls for mold toxicity year-round. While it may seem more prevalent in the summer, people tend to notice it more in the spring and fall as traditional seasons change. Particularly when switching from heating to cooling or vice versa. As certain parts of the HVAC switch from dormant to active and vice versa, you may notice problems that have been developing during the off-season. These can then be exacerbated by extreme temperature swings that we experience in the dead of summer or winter. It’s important to remember that extreme temperature differentials can create condensation which is one of the leading causes of mold growth in a home.
Tell us about your new book, The Mold Medic: An Expert’s Guide on Mold Removal.
My father has been a general contractor since I’m five years old. Being around construction my entire life has built a foundation for my success in the mold industry. I would probably be a general contractor today, if not for the fact that I saw so many people getting sick from mold exposure.
I grew up in the northeast and was planting my feet in the construction industry when Hurricane Sandy hit. I saw client after client, not feeling well even after they had their insurance company “remediate” their home. That led me down the path of mold and helping others dealing with mold-related symptoms. What I had realized by looking at the overall science of how mold remediation was designed to work, was that the industry as a whole was missing the root cause of exposure. It wasn’t the mold growing on the wall that was making you sick, it was actually the byproducts being produced by that colony of mold.
The mold industry goes through great lengths to talk about removing the mold on the wall and neglects the other piece of the exposure. This is why people complain of “failed remediation” or “not feeling better” after remediation.
As I started to figure this out and develop processes to fix the missing link, I realized that we, unfortunately, couldn’t change the world by operating one house at a time. The proper information needs to be in more people’s hands in order to truly inspire change.
Tell us about your proprietary “Home Detox” method.
The Home Detox is a proprietary process that my team and I created. I’m currently in the stages of patenting this process. I did this because I want to protect the integrity of the process and teach others how to do it properly. Very similar to how I am board certified in other aspects of mold remediation. I envision creating a culture of passionate individuals like myself who want to go above and beyond to help people and are willing to go the distance without cutting corners to make sure that their service puts the health of the customers it services first.
We are working tirelessly behind the scenes to be able to get the training platforms up and running to get other businesses running on the same ideals and processes like ours. If you’d like to work with me currently, I am servicing nationally and consulting internationally currently and am happy to help anyone and everyone who needs help. We are putting on the finishing touches of our “healthy home initiative” non-profit which is going to help underprivileged families improve their air quality who cannot afford remediation efforts. It is also going to fund air quality awareness campaigns to help prevent situations from occurring like those that happened to our client Shannon.
What are a few ways, your guide can help people to remove mold?
The Mold Medic is a great read to prevent making mistakes that you hear so much about. It’s going to go over how to find and put together the best team to help find and remove the mold, by alerting you to the types of questions you should be asking these professionals to make sure they’re the right ones for you. It’s going to break down how you need to also improve the environmental conditions that allowed mold to grow in the first place.
For example, if you just remove the mold but don’t repair the leak, the mold will grow back as soon as it leaks again. It’s also going to break down how to deal with your HVAC, the lungs of the home, and how it contributes to your air quality. Last but not least, what to do with all of your stuff when you’re battling a mold problem in your home. You’ll be pleased to know that my book wasn’t written for other mold experts, it was written for the public so it is easy to read and understand.
Recently you launched the Mold Talk YouTube series. What can we find here?
I am very excited about the Mold Talks YouTube series as it is a mold awareness campaign. I have some really amazing celebrities lined up who have been exposed to mold. They share the journey they have gone through with me, and it is my hope that it will empower those who could be going through something similar.
It can be really dark to go through something you don’t understand and feel hopeless about figuring out what’s causing it or how to fix it once you finally do. I have had a chance to connect with my clients and while I could never put myself in their shoes, just even the bird’s eye view is telling of how hard life can be when you’re in a perpetual illness.
I don’t just interview celebrities either, Mold Talks is all about connecting real people who have gone through challenges with mold exposure with other real people going through challenges currently. It’s meant to show that no matter who we are or what we do we are all people and have vulnerabilities we are not in control of. However, we CAN take control once we know what’s happening, we can do something about it.
How can people heal their minds and body after mold exposure?
Healing the mind and body is the final step in the road to recovery once you’re out of the exposure. As Harma Hartouini – the guest on my first episode of Mold Talks – says it’s about “getting back up.”
In helping over 1,000 families to date I have heard of all the different psychological and physiological effects that something like mold exposure can cause. In most cases, the client’s medical practitioner will prescribe either binders or antifungal medication. They may also suggest eating a specific diet such as an anti-inflammatory diet. Many of my clients talk to a “mold recovery coach” such as PJ Harlow or join “mold recovery support groups” on social media platforms to help provide the emotional support they need. Regardless of what form of support you choose, it’s important to seek help and remember that you are not alone in this.
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www.AllAmericanRestoration.com