> I can't but help wonder whether higher levels of lithium also correlate with a clean water supply, which would indicate a more affluent community. Not likely

> I can't but help wonder whether higher levels of lithium also correlate with a clean water supply, which would indicate a more affluent community. Not likely, because the water supply of an affluent community would have highly filtered water containing few "impurities" including lithium. Further, if the community in question were conservative in their political views, the water might even lack fluoride, another component with known beneficial traits but one that has become a political issue in some places. > Also, why is it that you have to have a prescription to get certain compounds, but other ones you can just purchase yourself? Is it simply the potential for toxicity? No, it revolves around the issue of medical applications. If a substance has known medical applications, then its dissemination will likely be controlled by the FDA. Even advertising a substance's possible medical benefits is not permitted in the general case, without FDA approval and substantial controls. For example, if I sell willow bark as writing paper, no problem. If I sell it as a pain-killer without possessing medical authority, I will be in a heap of trouble.