Justwin—
I assume you are not a doctor, so why do you trust your GP more than the government? How do you know they are giving you sound advice? Do you look at their qualifications?
I am not an MD, but I do have a PhD. I also have a degree in biology and went to two years of medical school. I simply don't trust the government. There aren't too many people I trust less than the government.
I take the advice of my GP and my kids' pediatricians and then make a decision myself. I view doctors more as advisors than as an authority I simply follow.
I read the clinical trial articles when they come out if it is something I am interested in. You can't simply take the headlines that come out. For example, there have been articles that come out about how there is no safe level of alcohol for people under 40 or that there is no overall health benefit from alcohol. However, if your look at the details of the studies, a lot of the death and harm impacts come from suicide, motor vehicle accidents and things like TB. I'm not suicidal, don't drink and drive and am not at risk of TB, so the conclusions of the articles don't really apply to me.
I also select physicians that have low prescription rates. You can find this information out from pharmacists. The pediatrician we went to in Little Rock while we lived there had the lowest prescription rate in the city. If a physician's first response is to prescribe a drug or do a procedure, we'll find a new doctor.