International journal of Complementary and Internal Medicine

Biological Clocks, Low-Cost Biomarkers, and AI for Healthspan Equity

Timothy Beckman — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0530

Biological clocks are central regulators of metabolism, immunity, cognition, and psychological well-being. Longevity medicine increasingly leverages sophisticated aging clocks, biomarker panels, and artificial intelligence (AI) analytics to support clients’ longevity efforts. These services are largely inaccessible to all but the most affluent populations. This paper qualitatively synthesizes recent research on biological clocks, health inequities, low-cost routine laboratory tests, and AI-enabled decision support to explore how rhythm-aligned, biomarker-driven, holistic wellness guidance can be made accessible to economically marginalized populations lacking consistent access to high end longevity medicine.

This research focused on a qualitative meta-synthesis of empirical and conceptual studies published between 2020 and 2025 targeting biological clocks, circadian health disparities, low-cost biomarkers, and AI-supported digital health in underserved communities. Twenty-two peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed using a coding framework. Emergent themes included:

(1) biological clocks provide a cross-cutting framework linking healthspan to daily behaviors, social determinants, and
systemic inequities;
(2) circadian disruption and poor sleep health disproportionately affect low-income communities;
(3) standardized, low cost lab tests offer practical proxies for biological aging and healthspan risk;
(4) hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and related biomarkers provide a scalable window into chronic stress load in
marginalized settings;
(5) AI-enabled tools can translate routine lab data and symptoms into tailored, culturally grounded guidance aligned
with biological clocks; and
(6) structural barriers must be actively addressed to ensure that AI-supported rhythm-informed care reaches marginalized
communities.

Biological clocks and routine laboratories together create a “layman’s toolkit” that can be delivered at scale. When integrated into community-based health programs using low-cost digital platforms, these tools have the potential to extend healthspan for communities excluded from concierge longevity resources. Future research should evaluate the efficacy of these low-cost tools in a longitudinal study within marginalized societies.

Will Community Dwelling Older Adults Who Sustain a Non injurious Fall Benefit from Prophylactic Vitamin C Supplementation? A Review of Vitamin C and Bone Specific Influences and Observations Past and Present

Ray Marks — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0530

Fractures and their causative and repair mechanisms have been topics subject to various forms of investigation for several decades and are of particular salience in limiting healthy aging. In both instances, preventing and treating bone fractures - an immense societal concern in all aging populations – is a highly understudied topic. In this paper we discuss a possible role for vitamin C or ascorbic acid in both these processes in the context of secondary fracture prevention post falls, a topic that has received increasing attention in recent years, but with quite limited mainstream practice applications. It explores whether vitamin C is of potential relevance in preventing osteoporosis, a bone thinning disease linked to a high risk of future fractures in recurrent older age fallers, as well as in fostering bone fracture healing. While further investigation of this topic is warranted, ensuring aging adults have sufficient access to fruits and vegetables containing vitamin C as a rule and especially after an injurious fall or fracture appear to have considerable merit. Indeed, findings as of January 20, 2026 show a growing albeit imperfect degree of support for vitamin C in fostering bones mineral density metabolism as well as bone repairs.

Frailty, Frailty Progression, Falls Fears and Injuries among the Elderly: Possible Protective Role of a Stepped Stage Theory Approach to Active Tai Chi Therapy Adoption

Ray Marks — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0530

Increasing numbers of older adults vulnerable to becoming frail are also often at risk for serious falls injuries and poor health outcomes that can include frailty. In this report we aimed to examine the correlate of frailty, and its association with falls and their outcomes among older adults and the possible protective efficacy of Tai Chi therapy in this regard. Employed were articles of relevance published up to May 31 2026 in three major electronic data bases that address these topics. Key findings regarding the syndromes of frailty, falls and falls fears, plus their Tai Chi related impacts showed a high proportion of older adults can be expected to exhibit less frailty and falls in response to Tai Chi practice if addressed in a timely and stage matched manner. Indeed it appears comprehensive timely assessments of at risk older adults, and encouraging Tai Chi adoption in the pre frail adult who does not exercise or wish to do so may avert frailty onset, falls and their progression, serious injury plus long term disability costs including excess frailty, recurrent falls injuries, concerns about falling, poor falls self-efficacy, and depression.