I know this might sound a little far fetched, but is it possible that
overtraining without adequate recovery time could cause an increase in
blood pressure?  I know that exercise is supposed to control blood
pressure, but if it's done at a high intensity could the reverse be
true?

This article may interest you:

http://216.239.63.104/search?q=cache:tpRSjJftnuwJ:www.sportsci.org/encyc/drafts/Hypertension.doc

Pink,

I scanned through the article and will print it now to read it
carefully.  Hmmmm, quite interesting indeed and thorough.  I'll take
the time to read and "disgest" the information and post a comment or
question later.

Thanks again, ever so much, your pink-guru-ness.
Purr

Purr,

The last time I tried to help (on your question about sleep), I kept
missing the mark, and was never able to find exactly what you wanted.
While I enjoy researching an interesting topic, it's frustrating to
spend many hours on something, yet fail to provide full satisfaction
to the customer.

After you go through the article I mentioned above, it would be very
helpful to know precisely what additional material you'd like to see.
I tend to go running off in all directions with certain kinds of
questions (as in the "sleep" question, which went unanswered). Wild
goose chases can be envigorating, but the envigoration is lessened
when they fail to turn up a goose. ;-)

~Pink

Yes, I have to admit that my questions tend to be open ended and somewhat vague.  

Here's the scenario.  I've had very good blood pressure readings
(around 116/60) for years.  Yes, recently, my pressure has gone up
almost dramatically and my doctor told me that I'm pre-hypertensive. 
Not that much has changed in my life.  I'm older, of course, but I
still try to eat healthfully, get enough rest, exercise, etc.

One of the things that has changed is the amount and intensity of
exercise that I've been doing for the past two years.  I take 3-4
spinning classes, plus do a couple of weight training classes (light
weights) a week.  These are pretty intense, 1-hour sessions.

It may not be that, after all.  But, when I read about the causes of
high blood pressure - other than a little bit of stress, I'm at my
correct weight, exercise, don't each much sugar, don't eat fast food,
etc. - I shouldn't be a "candidate."  No one in either side of my
family is hypertensive.  I don't smoke, don't drink (pretty boring,
huh?) and don't do any of the other nasty behaviors associated with
hypertension.

I just turned 50 and have not gone through menopause yet.  Does that
have any effect on blood pressure?

Thanks for your patience on this.

I'm stumped. Although vigorous exercise can raise blood pressure
temporarily, I haven't found anything to suggest that it would cause a
long-term increase in blood pressure.

The onset of menopause can sometimes be associated with a rise in
blood pressure, but this isn't usually a dramatic change.

"It has been uncertain whether there is a true increase of blood
pressure associated with the menopause, or whether there is just a
gradual upward trend that is the consequence of aging. A Belgian study
of 315 healthy women aged between 30 and 70 checked their blood
pressure three times over a 5-year period by conventional clinic
measurements, and once by ambulatory (24 hour) monitoring. During that
time 44 of the women went through the menopause.

Both types of blood pressure measurement led to the same conclusion:
that there is an increase of systolic pressure of about 5 mmHg that is
the result of the menopause itself, that is distinct from the effects
of aging and putting on weight, which also tends to happen at the time
of the menopause. There appeared to be no effect of the menopause on
diastolic pressure, and men of the same ages as the women showed no
similar change of blood pressure.

Part of the previous confusion as to whether the menopause directly
affects blood pressure has been due to the fact that blood pressure
(particularly systolic) tends to go up with age. What this study was
able to show was that, over the same span of 5 years, women who went
through the menopause showed a bigger increase of systolic pressure
than those who did not. The fact that only systolic pressure was
affected led the authors to suggest that the lack of estrogens, which
accompany the menopause may result in an increased stiffness of the
arteries."

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/blood/articleView.asp?MessageID=271

It should be noted that menopause affects different women in different
ways; my blood pressure went down slightly during menopause, and it
has remained lower, which is OK by me.

Another article about blood pressure & menopause, with an interesting
(if scary) theory:

http://www.heart1.com/news/mainstory.cfm/89

Pink
It is interesting that bone releases lead into the blood stream from
thinning bones.  I'm hoping that the 20 somthing years of working out
has prevented some bone loss.
Well, a co-worker mentioned that his wife, who is my age, and who also
works out, eats healthfully, etc., etc., has to take blood pressure
medicine to control her blood pressure.  She is a buyer for a big
department store, so, I have a tendency to think that outside
pressure=inside pressure.  In any event, as you can see, I've been
vainly searching for an answer other than, take stress reduction
classes, meditate, blah, blah, blah. And, I don't want to be
medicated.  While I can do all those things that doctors recommend,
they won't help me stay dry as I run between the rain drops.
 
You gave me good answers, as always.  Thanks.

It is interesting the question you ask re high blood pressure and
intense exercise.  You may find the answer, in my experience, in
asking further questions regarding the type of body you have, water
you drink, stress you are under, etc...these factors have a lot to do
with elevated blood pressure.  Often it is related to something
genetic, in the diet( this is quite varied too), or what you are
drinking.  For example, a patient of mine years ago came to me and we
found his blood pressure elevated during intense exercise.  We found
that he was having reactions to certain foods, and, drink he was
taking into his body...even 5 days before his work out!  So, we
isolated the problems and began allergy treatment and it was mildly
effective.  I then prescribed about 15,000 mg vitamin C daily...his
problem got solved.  We raised the vitamin C level until his bowel
tolerance, then backed off.  He exercised and his blood pressure
normalized.  After a month, we reduced the vitamin C to 10,000 daily,
then 5,000 another month.  He currenly stays on about 4000 mg daily
and monitors his blood pressure....but then I have many others who
have had elevated blood pressure for different reasons and they are as
individual as your body.  It is best that you learn more about how
YOUR body responds.  Dr. John N. Nauss

JNatural,

Those are interesting insights.  It might be that stress has an
immediate impact on me.  I believe that my life has been stressful for
a while, but I've internalized the effect (you know, become
unconscious of it).
I usually try to drink as much water (bottled, sometime Evian) as I
can.  I have only one cup of coffee in the morning.  My diet varies
all over the map, but I try to get a much of a variety as possible. 
The idea of using Vitamin C is intriguing.  I took one 1000 mg pill
last night as a starter - since your recommended dosage level is very
high.  I'm doing whatever I can, but I can't really eliminate stress
(job and long commute).

My physician is a nurse practitioner at Kaiser, and it's enough to
drive my blood pressure up just sitting in her office.  She was quite
judgmental and critical of my blood pressure, even though my lifestyle
is as healthy as I can make it.  Low blood sugar, healthy
cholesterols, good resting heart rate.  So I'm sent off to classes,
which really felt like a waste of time.  And, the person teaching the
class basically said that I'm okay.  It's a little crazy-making, so
you can see where I'm confused and concerned.

By the way, are you a naturopath?  Thanks for the kind advice.

Hi There;  Yes, I am a Doctor of Natural Medicine.  I only gave the
scenario to let you know that  one can be helped.  Stress is a big
factor, although not a final one as we can do a lot to mitigate it. 
Commuting is a stressful one, I must say as I commute to my place of
work and it take about 35 minutes.  However, I have decided to enjoy
the process.  I can do that because I have chosen to and have learned
what happens when I get into situations that cause me panic or feeling
out of control.  I run various "tapes" in my mind, learn meditation to
keep me focused in a positive way or way that is useful.  If you are
starting out with"This is stressful, I know" then you are starting to
program your m ind to accept stress and delete the non-stress...what
we focus on expands...so some NLP training might be the ticket to help
you get a hold of your reactions during the stressful times you are
going through.  Since you are choosing to commute, and you may see
yourself as having no choice, that is not really true.  Of course, the
pain you avoid by leaving the job might be greater than the stress you
experience whilst in the job and commuting. If you see what I mean. 
We all move between two poles at that level, what gives us pleasure
and what gives us pain.  We WILL avoid ANYTHING that causes us pain. 
Most people associate pain, like you, with commuting instead of making
it a fun experience.  If you find yourself replying " Well, it is
stressful" then you have already made up your mind and will find ways
to create the pain.  If you decide that it is not painful, you can
look for ways to do that as well...make it an enjoyable experience. 
It is that simple, really.  You can't control it either, you have to
find out what keeps you associated to the stress of whatever you do,
then change the conditions of your body.  Our bodies actaully have a
physical position, breathing rate etc., of how we are when we
experience depression or pain.  Doing the opposite, you cannot
experience the stress...so changing the triggers are important the
do-able, as they are mental in nature then physical...NLP has the key
for that one.  Dr. J

Dr. J,

Thank you, again, for your insights.  They are much appreciated.

I would tend to agree that thinking it so can make it so.  I've
probably engaged in mental scenarios for so long that they have become
a habit.  Calling me a worrier would not be far from the truth, but
I've done my best to assuage that habit - not always successfully.

Is NLP neurolinguistic programming?  I've heard of it for the longest
time, but don't know what it encompasses and what sort of effects
using that system would have.  Could you tell me more, please?

Many thanks.
Purr

Thank you, newhealth, for your suggestions.  I've actually been
considering Herbalife's weight loss product to help me lose a few
pounds, but didn't realize how comprehensive their product offerings
are.

Although my better judgement goes against conducting a conversation
about supplements with my nurse practitioner at Kaiser, I'll make a
quick mention of it when I see her next week.  In the meanwhile, I'll
peruse the web site URL you forwarded.  It's not inconceivable that
years of stress may have taken a toll on my body's resources.  Thanks
for the suggestion.
Purr