Chest pain is not always caused due to a heart attack. It can occur due to other causes such as myocarditis, acid reflux, pneumonia, bronchitis, trauma, anxiety, shingles, pericarditis, gallstones, and pulmonary hypertension.

The causes of chest pain are:
- Myocardial infarction
- Pneumonia, bronchitis, pulmonary hypertension
- Acid reflux, swallowing disorders
- Anxiety, shingles
- Gallstones, pericarditis and aortic dissection
- Trauma to ribs, pleurisy and pulmonary embolism

Dietary changes are essential and recommended for the management of chest pain based on the underlying cause such as acid reflux or swallowing disorders. You should eat a healthy diet consisting of plenty of fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and fish. The individual must abstain from alcohol, fried foodstuffs, spicy foods and outside contaminated food.

The effectiveness of breathing exercises is based on the underlying cause of chest pain. Breathing exercises can help in cardiac and respiratory causes, anxiety and panic attacks because it increases blood oxygenation and reduce stress by the release of endorphins.

Heart attack is one of the causes of chest pain; however, chest pain cannot cause heart attack. During a heart attack, there is a reduction of blood flow in the coronary vessels, thereby leading to the death of cardiac muscle cells.