Type Cast

Because the diabetic’s body does not manufacture its own insulin, the hormone must be taken by external means. Type 1 "childhood" diabetic must inject "true and full" insulin. Type 2 "age advanced" diabetics can sometimes take oral medication, if the pancreas (the organ that produces insulin) still works somewhat. Type 1’s cannot use the oral or other medications; on diagnosis, they must automatically begin treatment with the needle.
These basic differences encourage my theory that Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are two different conditions. I think Type Ones actually have more flexibility in dietary lapses because they can inject more insulin to counterbalance the excess or "naughty" food. The Type 2 on oral meds can’t do that. Strict adherence to diet and routine is more important, and probably more difficult as most Type 2’s are older and more set in their ways at the time of diagnosis than most Type Ones. The fattening of America at younger ages has made this last statistic less consistent.
I see one other major drawback to Type Two diabetics, and by extension to these "newer groups" dubbed "pre-diabetics." People reliant on or able to use oral medications are prone to become the guinea pigs and outright victims of the pharmaceutical companies. The Ones have no options other than injectable insulin. The Options of Twos allow for experimentation and they get prescribed medicines with unknown long term effects such as Actos. I have heard many tales of Type Two patients with doctors who change what meds they are on with what I consider alarming regularity. As doctors experiment, the patient’s blood sugar often stays elevated. While the blood sugar stays elevated, the catastrophic effects of the disease will continue.
I think it is best for newly diagnosed Twos to forego the oral meds and begin right with real, injectable insulins The option needs to be discussed with your doctor. If the doctor insists that you don’t need insulin that badly, there’s a good possibility your condition could be treated with diet and exercise and the only the pharmaceutical companies will be direct beneficiaries of your use of their products.
I know, people are afraid of the needle and resist. I could understand this more in the "good ol’ days" when sugar testing was mostly done through the urine. Now, diabetics are expected to go through multiple blood tests per day. The syringe with which you inject insulin is unnoticeable in comparison to blood sampling for the home testing meters, even those that are "less painful" by testing off the arm rather than the fingers.
I am morally and ethically opposed to the artificial necessity of finger prick testing as the pharmaceutical companies buy and bury any patent for non-invasive blood sugar testing such as scanners. (With such technology, the pharmaceuticals would lose the guaranteed captured-audience sales of test strips and lancets.) But until those technologies are made available, the Type Two in particular really has no choice as they cannot achieve the balance without the input of frequent testing.