With cold and flu season right around the corner, you may already be thinking of taking antibiotics if you get sick. However, the Centers for Disease Control cautions against using antibiotics each time you don't feel well.

Common ailments like cold, flu, and sore throats are typically caused by viruses, which cannot be cured by antibiotics.

Doctors say the more antibiotics you take, the less chance you have of fighting off bacterial infections.

"All it does is make the bacteria that we normally have in our bodies more likely to become resistant to those antibiotics. And should we need them for bacteria infections in the future, many of them become ineffective," says Dr. Doug Larsen MD, Shenandoah District Health Director.

Larsen says, if you think you have a virus, head to your doctor, but the biggest way you can help prevent catching a virus is simple: wash your hands.