Medical uses. Plants of the genus Ephedra, including E. sinica and others, have traditionally been used by indigenous people for a variety of medicinal purposes, including treatment of asthma, hay fever, and the common cold. The alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are active constituents of E. sinica and other members of the genus.
People with moderate to severe, stage 2 and 3 emphysema, have a life expectancy of five years or more with intensive treatments. People with end-stage, stage 4 emphysema, have little time to live, even with treatment [source: No More Smokes].herefore, the prognosis of emphysema is not favorable. The average life expectancy for someone with emphysema is five years. Your life expectancy drops to two years, however, if you donât seek treatment and/or you do not quit smoking [source: Health Information Directory].
Emphysema is a chronic lower respiratory disease, the third leading cause of death in the United States. It is a chronic, progressive disease that affects the quality of life at least as much as the length of life.