Dear CFTraveler,
for your Info:

This is the baking soda molecule. There is roughly 1/4 of sodium in it.
Taking one grams of sodium bicarbonate one receives about 250 miligrams of sodium (actually probably even less than 200, following molecular weight).
The irony is that the alkalizing effect may cure the heart problem itself also. There are also some who say that any disease can exist only as long as the body is overacidic.
In Japan alkaline water is actually a routine treatment used by the medical System in the hospitals over there.
But the American system is so corrupt...well no need to continue.
kind regards,
Paul
Alkalizing a system has to do with keeping certain types of bacteria from colonizing your body, but heart disease comes in many forms, and the reason that sodium is contraindicated is because of the fluid load it puts on the heart to pump- so one thing has nothing to do with another.
Most heart disease is caused by too much fat, the wrong kind of fat, and too much sodium in the diet- and there also are heart defects, that can be caused by many reasons, some genetic, some not. But an alkaline system will have no effect on structure- but sodium can cause heart damage if too much is eaten.
Most people with flow problems (due to defective valves and/or other structural reasons) should not have more than 350mG of sodium in a serving of anything, because it makes the body hold water in the blood, and it is hard for the heart to push all that fluid through- especially if it's not working correctly in the first place.
So if someone is taking 200 mG of sodium in a beverage, that only gives them 100 more or less in the food they are going to eat. Which is not much, many foods have more sodium than that.
BTW, the 'soda' in sodas is sodium bicarbonate, also known as carbonated water, most seltzer waters and baking soda. They're all names for the same thing.
There is no 'magic bullet'- there is no one 'cure' that can cure everything- some things can be good for something and not good for something else.
So even though I'd recommend this for someone with acid reflux instead of another type of antacid, I would not recommend this to someone who has heart or kidney problems, because if it causes the blood pressure to go higher it can also damage the kidneys. Of course the second thing is unlikely (unless there is already damage or the person already eats too much salt.) but it's something that should be known.
---